Rings and Things
by Sultry Sweet
Summary: Years ago, Sara left San Francisco to gain a better life. All this time later, she's invited to a wedding and decides she just can't go alone. Unfortunately, her past will soon catch up with her whether she finds a date or not. And what happens then?
1. Chapter 1

_**Sorry it's been a while since my last update and sorry this is a new story when I still haven't finished the others. This idea just came to me, even though I've done something very similar. I just feel that this one will better and I had to put it out there. Enjoy.**_

**Chapter One**

Mail is something that connects people. It's also something that can give a forty-two year old a serious panic attack.

When I saw the envelope, I already knew I would be exited, but I could also tell that I'd need a paper bag to help regulate my breathing. The envelope floated onto the counter and all that remained in my hand was a fancy letter, an invitation.

_'Jennifer Daniels and Kay Dillinger proudly welcome you and guest to_

_their joyous civil union. RSVP by April 28, 2011 and make sure to save the_

_date! This lovely union will occur on May 6, 2011.'_

I skimmed through the letter to see my friend's name, important dates, and a couple phone numbers. The rest made the invitation look special and eloquent, but I only cared to know who the lucky friend was. When I saw Jennifer's name, I smiled and knew I had no choice but to attend. I reread the entire letter and, of course, realized one flaw: "and guest". I didn't have a date and I couldn't go stag. I was sure all my old friends would be there, all my old friends that had stated time and time again how jealous they were of my successful love life. If I showed up with anyone less than amazing, they'd clearly see that my plan to move to Vegas, the one I had told them would get me exactly where I wanted to be in life, was a massive mistake.

I didn't want to hear it. I didn't want them to pity me and my lack of a relationship. I didn't want them to see that no one had truly cared to love me, except the one person I wouldn't dare bring with me to the occasion. Sure, Gil is nice and reliable, but our marriage greatly suffered. The thousands of miles between us, as I'd told his mother, works for us. What I failed to mention is that it only works because if the rest of my life had to revolve around him, I would cheat on him in a heartbeat. I love him and he's the best husband a girl could ask for, but there was one thing I left in my past. That one thing liked to resurface every time I saw Special Agent Dana Scully with her gun and wit, and obviously her expertise in the field of science.

I hadn't told Gil much about my past before he proposed, nor did I say much more after we tied the knot. There are plenty of things I'm sure he's too blind to notice and things of relative nature he certainly had no knowledge of due to my locked up thoughts and feelings. I also didn't know how to tell him I used to date women when I lived in San Francisco, how to tell him that several times I'd fantasized about going down on the sensational Detective Olivia Benson. I didn't know how to tell him anything really. He listened to me when he demanded to know why I was always so angry. He listened to me when I was in college, always took me where I wanted to go, did whatever I wanted to do. He opened up to me in ways, told me things that no one else knew about, not even after he left the lab. I told myself over and over that even though he truly trusted me, he only valued my ears.

Then, of course, the lovely Heather Kessler entered the picture. But I have to give her props, because even though I swear she slept with Gil at some point, I still appreciate things about her...like her sensual movements and dangerous yet tender green eyes. I don't much care for her previous line of work, or present one for the matter, but she does what satisfies her and that's fine by me. The only hostility between us centers around my husband, but I guess it didn't always bother me, especially when I imagined myself teasing a handful of beautiful women.

I shook my head as I stared down at the invitation again. I looked at Jennifer's name once more and remembered one of our conversations.

"_Sara," Jennifer cooed as she eyed the woman I brought with me to our gathering. "Yet again you've managed to shock me. ...Who's your date?"_

_I smiled as the woman at my side squeezed my hand. _

"_This is Camille. She's a little shy."_

_I urged Camille toward Jennifer for a proper introduction and placed my hand on her lower back. I knew she needed to feel safe and supported in case she fell, and I made sure to paint the perfect picture that I was there for her._

"_Hi," she softly said as she held out her free hand to shake hands with Jennifer._

"_Hey, no need to be shy. We're all friendly here. Of course, I understand how nerve wracking it is to meet new people through someone you're close to. But don't worry...any friend of Sara's is a friend of ours."_

"_Which means," another one of my friends interrupted with a smile and beer. "We've got you're back." _

_Jennifer smiled as well as she took her hand back from Camille. My other friend offered me the beer in her hand and secured her arm around Jennifer's waist. I watched her kiss Jennifer's neck for a few moments before the two of them reentered reality. _

"_Still think we're no good for each other," Jennifer's girlfriend Diane smugly asked._

"_Yes," I blatantly stated, Camille's hand then rested on my shoulder._

"_Sara," Jennifer warned with a slightly pleading undertone. _

"_Sorry," I said._

"_No you're not," Jennifer frowned._

_Camille stared at me with utter confusion. _

"_Can you give us a minute," I asked her._

"_Yeah...sure," she nodded as she looked between me and the other two women as she took off for the ladies' room. _

"_I thought you were done with this," Jennifer started._

"_Me too, but then you told me you were serious about her."_

"_Look, she doesn't want you anymore," Diane interjected. _

"_Was I talking to you?"_

"_Guys, stop it," Jennifer begged._

"_She broke up with you a long time ago. It's time to realize that you're never going to be the one that makes her smile, or the one that makes her laugh, or the one she wakes up to every morning."_

"_And you think that person is going to be you?"_

_She looked at me with a profound expression of "duh!" and I scoffed._

"_News flash, you'll be out of her life in a matter of months," I raised my voice._

"_Because that's all the time she gave you, right? Because she left you for no reason."_

"_Diane, stop," Jennifer grabbed Diane's wrist and stepped between us._

"_No," I gently pushed Jennifer out of the way. "I want to hear what she has to say."_

"_Then you better listen closely because I'm only going to say this once. You weren't a good girlfriend by any means. She only kept you around because she believed you'd be the same person she met three years ago, but you fucked up. _

"_When you two started dating, you instantly thought she'd do all the work and all you had to do was come home. You used her to kill the loneliness that was eating you alive and you ended up making her even lonelier than you had ever been! She didn't want to hurt you, but she finally couldn't take it anymore. She needed someone who cared about her and you just couldn't be there like you had all those times before. So now it's my turn and I certainly won't make the same mistakes you did."_

_I clenched my fists as I tried to stay calm, speechless and ready to pound Diane into the wall._

_I'd met Diane through Jennifer, but they hadn't been dating when she joined our circle of friends. They met during yoga class a few months after Jennifer and I split, and even though it stung to hear her say we were over, I was more than happy to remain friends. It wasn't until she started seeing Diane that I had a problem with our break up. I knew I hadn't been good to her, didn't treat Jennifer the way a real girlfriend should have, but I knew I was better than Diane. I feared the blonde train wreck Jennifer called her girlfriend was using her, but I didn't have any proof. _

_Jennifer shoved us apart, aN outraged look on her face, and I knew I was in for it._

"_That's enough! ...Diane, why don't you get me another drink."_

_Diane turned her attention to Jennifer and displayed controlling eyes that immediately made me want to punch her. _

"_I really need to talk to her...alone."_

_Diane took a deep breath and upon releasing it, gave me a death glare that didn't have me worried at all. I knew I could take her in a fight and I was ninety-nine percent positive I would win. I restrained myself of course, if not to protect myself from getting kicked out of the place, then for Jennifer's sake._

_Diane walked away and slowly felt my tense muscles relax. _

"_Why are you still with her," I jumped to ask._

"_I'm the one who gets to ask the questions... What is your deal? You didn't have a problem with her when you two first met."_

"_That was before you started sleeping with her," I angrily stared at Diane from across the room._

_Jennifer grabbed my arm and my focus quickly shifted back to her. _

"_Even though I'm the one that ended it, it still hurts me to see you with other women, but do I say anything?"_

_I exhaled, disappointed in myself for letting her down yet again. _

"_We're better friends than we are lovers, Sara, and I know you know that. Diane is great and I'm happy so...as my friend, you should be happy for me. Do you think you can do that?"_

_I took my time to answer as every memory of her flashed before me, all the smiles, the cute games that either led us to the bedroom or into a cuddle in front of the TV. I didn't want to lose her._

"_I'm...glad that you're happy," I said, my eyes directed at the floor._

_She hooked her index finger under my chin and lifted my head in order to initiate eye contact. _

"_Thank you. ...And let me be the first to commend you on your great girlfriends. Everyone you've had since our break up have been even better than the next. I don't know why you don't stick to just one though. They've all been perfect for you."_

_She leaned in and gave me a kiss on the cheek._

"_Everyone agrees," she smiled as she pulled away from me._

Obviously, since she was getting married to someone else, she eventually broke up with Diane, but not until she caught the slut cheating on her with her friend from San Diego. But that wasn't the point.

She had admitted that people other than her were jealous of me. Eleven years later and I was in a sweet but semi-passionate marriage with a man twice my age and nothing to show for the last decade except my new friends and lack of social confidence.

I sighed and placed the invitation on the counter before I picked up the envelope and disposed of it. I had a less time than I wanted to RSVP and even less time to find a date. I knew I couldn't wait much longer to confirm my attendance, but I wanted to ensure a date for the evening first. I knew how to make chemicals react and make it a work of art, and I knew how to calculate any equation in under a minute, but I honestly didn't know how I was going to pull off the wedding.

I looked at the clock and got ready for work. I grabbed a snack to eat on my way out and walked into the locker room about fifteen minutes later. I went straight to my locker and dropped my keys inside. I notice a clean shirt hanging and decided I'd rather get down and dirty in it instead of the nicer shirt I'd worn to the lab. As I peeled it off, someone joined me in the locker room.

Standing in my bra, my shirt in hand, I looked behind me to see who'd come in to keep me company.

"Wow...first time in a long time that you're actually here on time as opposed to half an hour early," Catherine teased with a smile.

"Don't get use to it," I smiled back as I threw my shirt in my locker and grabbed the other. "What have you been up to?"

"Huh," she sighed. "I got home late this morning because I visited Lindsey on my day off. I thought I'd make it back before 10p.m., but...I just couldn't leave."

"Oh, how's doing?"

"Good. She's sucking me dry, asking for money for every little thing, but she's got a part-time job now...so maybe I'll be responsible for a little less. Of course, that's not important, is it."

I chuckled.

"She's all grown up," she started again. "I can't believe she's almost nineteen."

"Well, I'd tell you to watch out because she's a looker like her mom, but I'd hate to worry you," I pursed my lips to hide my obvious grin.

Her eyes widened.

"Why would you say that? ...Ugh, now I'm worried."

I chuckled again.

"Relax. She's also smart like her mom. She'll do just fine for herself."

"Pft, smart like her mom. I've always fallen for the assholes. I even married one."

"You also divorced one, dumped one you caught cheating on you, and eventually found one of the good guys."

She sardonically chuckled.

"Which goes to show how messed up I am to keep him at arm's length...except for when we have sex."

"Wait," I slowly started. "What are you saying?"

She sighed.

"That the only guy I've met worth dating is only a toy to me."

"You're...using Lou? For sex?"

She nodded with a self-loathing expression on her face, her tongue between her teeth, her eyes glazed over in disappointment.

She snapped out of her trance and made eye contact with me.

"Don't tell anyone what I just said."

"Have I ever told anyone what you tell me in confidence?"

We both knew I'd referred to the time she thought she was raped, and we both knew I could be trusted.

She nodded and I finally slipped into my shirt.

"So...what am I working tonight?"

"Since you're the only one that wrapped a case recently, you can assist me with my 419."

"The mangled DB off Imperial?"

"That's the one."

She shut her locker and took a seat on the bench as she changed shoes.

"You might want to wear your boots. We're hitting the streets."

"And by streets you mean..."

"Things might get slimy."

"Right," I slowly said. "We don't get paid enough to crawl through sewers or get caught in a filthy crime scene with walls of grunge and blood."

"I know, but somebody's got to do it. Luckily, I'm a cool boss and I'm doing it with you."

"Yeah, I don't get why you don't just make us do all the dirty work."

"Would you prefer I did?"

"No," I chuckled. "I'm just saying...you're nice."

"Am I?"

I heard the doubt in her voice. Something told me she'd made decisions recently that made her question her personality.

"Do you want to talk," I flat out asked her.

She slowly turned her body toward me, her work shoes completely on. The expression on her face told me to mind my own business, but her rigid frame told me I'd hit a nerve, which made her vulnerable.

"Sorry, it just...seems like you've got a lot on your mind."

After a beat, she sighed and relaxed.

"Let's focus on the case. Are you ready?"

I took my boots with me, shut my locker, and nodded.

"Let's go."

Ten minutes later, we were at the scene, which happened to be a run down corner of real estate. I thought plenty of drugs passed through this part of town and I jumped to the conclusion that the victim's death had to do with an illegal exchange gone wrong.

"If you're thinking this has to do with dealing, it's not. The victim wasn't killed here."

"Body dump?"

"Looks that way. I found some fibers in the waistband of his pants and a few in his nose, consistent with your basic cotton bedsheets."

"You're thinking he was suffocated and then wrapped in his own sheets."

"Exactly," she said.

This is the part of my life I appreciated, the team work, the partnership, the mystery of the case. If there was anything to be proud of after I moved to Vegas, something to show off at the wedding, it would be the increase in communication. Back in San Francisco, my coworkers didn't respect me unless they were sleeping with me and the only person I worked with that I slept with was my supervisor, Elise Dennison. Obviously, I recognized the pattern of my work place romances, but I had different reasons for starting relationships with them. It had absolutely nothing to do with their positions of power, of course, that fact didn't hurt Elise and I in the bedroom department, by any means.

My mind wandered further and I wondered what Elise has been up to since I transferred to the Vegas lab. Then, it occurred to me that I could ask her to accompany me on May 6th. We ended on great terms, both of us happy that I had a chance to succeed elsewhere. Elise even encouraged me to take the job without a second thought because she knew that as long as I worked in 'Cisco, I'd always be at the bottom of the Totem pole. Of course, it'd been years and she probably already found someone new, but it was worth a shot to ask her to be my date. All I needed to do was find her number.

"Hello? Earth to Sara."

I blinked and shook my head to reenter reality and saw Catherine snapping her fingers in front of my face.

"I lost you for a while."

"Yeah, sorry. I, uh, I've some personal things on my mind."

"You...wanna talk," she teasingly asked as a smile spread across her face.

I laughed a little and rolled my eyes.

"Why don't you catch me up on the progress you've made."

Her smile stayed a little while longer before she ran through the evidence for me.

"Doc Robbins is taking a second look tonight. I sent the fibers to Trace, the blood to DNA, and Henry's looking into the alcohol our vic was doused in."

"Are you thinking he'll be able to match it to a specific brand?"

"I'm hoping it's fine wine or something so we can narrow our suspect list."

"Did he have an ID on him?"

"No, but I did find a picture of him with a young girl. She looks about Lindsey's age. On the back it said, 'Me and Becks 2010'."

"So it was taken some time last year."

"Yeah, and I doubt she's romantically involved with him."

"Daughter."

"That's where I'm at," she said.

"Have you tried to track her down?"

"Not yet. Archie doesn't come back from his vacation until next shift and I'm still processing the scene. I feel like I missed something."

"Well, I could get a ride back to the lab and cross-reference her with students at the local universities. Plus, it's possible she looks older than she actually is...so I could also check the high schools."

"No, I need your eyes. This is the third time this week I've come back to the scene and I'm still not satisfied. ...And how would you get a ride?"

"Greg," I nonchalantly answered.

"He would seriously come across town from his crime scene to give you a ride back to the lab, then go back to his scene?"

I nodded.

"And all because you asked," she stated with disbelief.

"Yeah, he owes me."

"For what?"

"He's got a girlfriend now thanks to me."

"You set him up with someone?"

"I was at a bar with him and he saw this woman...I talked him up and acted like his wing man. Since I'm a woman, she trusted me more than if she'd heard it from someone like Nick so...she hung out with him all night and called him for a first date the next day."

"Wow. How long a time does he owe you?"

I smiled.

"Once, but if something serious happens to me after he already paid me back, or even before, he'll still drop everything."

"As you would for him," she stated to gain reassurance.

"Exactly."

"Nice," she said with a nod after a beat. "What if something happened to me?"

"I'd be at your bedside nearly twenty-four seven."

She smiled and looked down at the ground like a blushing school girl.

"Don't look so surprised. How could you not know I'd be there for you?"

"Well, I'm the boss...and not everyone likes the boss."

"You know we're not a normal team. We're closer than any regular coworkers are and ever will be. So of course we like the boss."

"I guess it helps that we've all been through so much together over the years."

"Especially since almost a dozen years have passed," I smiled again.

"Oh god. Has it really been that long?"

I laughed as she finished her question and nodded.

"I know. It's hard to believe."

"It feels like yesterday we still picked fights with each other," she added.

"Definitely. It feels like an hour ago I met you for the first time."

She chuckled.

"I'm not gonna lie to you. ...I did enjoy playing with you."

"I'm not gonna lie to you. ...I knew you did," I mimicked her with a grin.

She furrowed her brow.

"Then why didn't you fight back?"

"Too much fun watching you try to cut me down. Besides, Gil told me about Holly Gribs...before she was shot, and...I knew you needed space. Plus, I was different from Holly. I wasn't as green. I didn't need you to look out for me."

A soft smile played on her lips.

"Well, thank you...for letting me do what I wanted then."

"You're welcome. I'm glad to see it got you _somewhere_."

She emitted a tiny laugh.

"Too bad it'll be short-lived."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm leaving the lab...or at least...I _plan _on leaving the lab," she slowly responded.

"And do what?"

"I have no idea."

I took a deep breath.

"Well...you could get into the casino business. I mean...Sam gave you partial ownership of the Eclipse, right?"

She questionably looked at me, shocked to hear my comment.

"How do you know about that?"

"You're his daughter. Even though there were some issues, he regretted plenty of things. The Eclipse was just another one of his ways of trying to do right by you."

"What, did you have a conversation with him or something?"

I gulped and avoided eye contact.

"You...wait, you talked to him? When?"

"I ran into him, after I processed the motel room for you four years ago."

"How did you happen to run into him?"

She appeared pissed and extremely on edge. I knew I had to tread lightly through the obviously sensitive subject.

"I didn't go looking for him. He sought me out."

She shook her head, I guessed because she didn't want to hear my explanation...no matter how much she demanded the truth from me.

"He called the lab and asked for me. I was looking over the trace I'd collected, you know, to 'keep it between us', and I had to take a call at the front desk. I put the phone to my ear and oddly enough...it was Sam Braun."

She took a deep breath to prepare herself for what came next.

"He asked me to stop by, I told him I was busy, and he insisted that if I didn't go to him to talk, he'd come to me. So I met with him and he asked about you."

"What did he want to know," she quietly asked.

"_How's Catherine,"Sam asked as he put his hand on my back and guided me to walk with him._

"_She's fine."_

"_I didn't ask you to come here and lie to me. I want to know what's going on with my daughter."_

"_She and I aren't that close."_

"_Cut the crap. You're the only other woman on the grave shift. I know she confided in you."_

"_Look," I sighed. "If you want to know what's going on with her, why don't you ask _her _instead of berating the people she knows."_

"_Sara," he gripped my arm with authority. "I want to know if somebody's screwing with my family. I don't know what she told you about our relationship, but I can assure you...no one comes after my loved ones."_

"_If she wanted you to know," I said after a beat. "You wouldn't have had to call me."_

_I hastily forced myself out of his grasp and started to walk away. Again, he stopped me._

"_If you care at all about her...you'll tell me why I received this," he coldly spoke up behind me._

_I turned around and saw him holding up a picture of Catherine laying naked, face down on the motel room bed I'd processed earlier._

_I gulped and ground my teeth._

"_What the hell happened to her," I angrily asked as I advanced toward him once again._

_I hesitated, my eyes still fixed on the photo._

"_I would know if you hadn't wanted to talk," I flatly said before I turned around again and continued toward the front doors._

"I didn't tell him anything," I told Catherine.

Her anger had faded as I explained the situation and now it seemed to resonate with her that not even Sam Braun could get any information told in confidence out of me.

She slowly nodded.

"Was that...the only time..."

"Until he talked to you. After your scuffle with him in the casino, after Lindsey was kidnapped...he came to see me. That's when he told me a few things he hadn't told you...about the Eclipse and his regrets as your father. He made me promise if anything happened to him that I'd look after you."

"Why? Why you? Why would he say that?"

"I asked him the same thing. He said I had strength and integrity, that I reminded him of himself, of the way he handled aggressors."

She scoffed and rolled her eyes.

"I can't believe he talked to you like that. He never respected boundaries."

I reached out and placed my hands on her shoulders to get her to relax.

"He has no effect on what I think of you. But...I do think it's cute the way you find it embarrassing even now."

I smiled and rubbed her arms as a way of deceasing her tension. She let go of the stress and worry and I felt her melt in my arms.

"Wait," she knitted her brow and straightened herself out, still somewhat comfortable and calm. "Did you just admit that you think I'm cute?"

I froze and let Catherine's previous tension inhabit my body. I hadn't realized I'd called her cute and I honestly hadn't paid attention enough to filter my thoughts before I spoke them.

Did I really think she was cute?

"Let's get back to work," I suggested and patted her arms before I turned and walked away.

Conveniently, as I walked away from her, I spotted something out of place.

"I think I found what you thought you missed," I mindlessly spoke as though in a trance while I approached the object.

I heard her move behind me, closing in on what I found.

She crouched down beside me, her breath hitting my shoulder. She examined what I had picked up and reached out to help hold the tweezers I trapped it in.

"And that's why I needed your eyes," she said as she pulled out a small evidence bag and let go of the tweezers as fast as she'd grabbed them.

I dropped the unknown object into the bag without her instructing me to do so and immediately proceeding that action, she sealed the bag and slipped it back into her pocket.

Several hours of combing the scene passed and, at some point, we'd managed to arrive back tat the lab.

"You hungry," Catherine asked after we dropped off our evidence in the proper analysis labs.

"Starving."

"Let's say we grab a bite to eat, come back and find out who Becks is," she suggested.

"Sounds good to me."

She smiled and within seconds. It seemed we were on the road to eating the best food our money could buy and our stomachs could devour.

"Why are you always the one to drive," I asked as we went further from the lab.

"Because I'm older and it's my car. Plus...you look at the road like you're in Fast and Furious."

"Oh my god. Am I ever going to live down that reputation?"

"Probably not."

She pulled into the parking lot of a place I recognized not much later, a place I frequented.

"Uh, Cath...you know this a vegetarian restaurant, right?"

"I know. I know it's also the only place you order from when you're at the lab...so I'm assuming you like this place."

I knitted my brow in a nonverbal way of telling her she was crazy to know that.

"I pay attention," she said as though I was crazy to think she didn't care about anyone but herself.

We got out of the car and waited for our server almost immediately.

"So...how's Gil?"

I cleared my throat. "He's great. He's excited about the entomology panel in Italy. This year he's been offered a spot on the panel."

"Nice. Glad to see he's still traveling."

I nodded, not too interested in the subject.

"Something tells me you're not as happy about that."

"No, no...it's not that. I'm happy for him, proud even, but...I can't pretend I don't feel like we've forgotten how to live together with us being apart most of the year."

"This might sound like a stupid question, but...is everything okay? I mean, I thought being apart was what you two wanted."

I hesitated.

"Yeah," I avoided eye contact and attempted to sound chipper. "Yeah, it _is_ what we wanted. We're good. I get to see him at the end of next month. It's fine."

"You sound like you're trying to convince yourself rather than me."

I finally met her eyes.

"Maybe I am."

She slid her hand across the table and took my hand in hers. I felt her fingers squeeze mine and goose bumps formed beneath the surface of my skin, a tingling feeling.

The waitress came around and instantly, our hands released.

"Hi, I'm Cheyanne. I'll be be your waitress this evening. What can I get y'all to drink?"

She spoke with a hint of a southern accent, her sunny blonde hair as vivacious as the American Dream. She looked like a wholesome college student, close to graduation, and ready to take on the world outside of the restaurant business.

"Can I get a strawberry-lemonade, please," Catherine asked.

"Okay," Cheyanne sweetly said as she scribbled down the order. "And for you?"

"Uh, I'll take a root beer float, please."

"All right," she scribbled more and smiled at us before she floated toward the back.

"When's the last time you saw him," Catherine resumed our conversation.

"In person?"

"Mhm."

"Uh, about a month and a half ago."

"Maybe that's why you feel this way. You haven't seen him in a while and you miss him. It's perfectly-"

"Last time I saw him," I interrupted. "He was rushing around to get himself on that panel I mentioned. We didn't talk much and when we did, it wasn't too personal. Mainly about work and you guys. He misses the team, by the way."

"When was the last time you two were...intimate?"

She seemed to carefully consider her words.

"I...can't remember," I sadly admitted.

She sighed out of sympathy.

"Is it because you don't want to be intimate with him? Or...is it him?"

"I don't know. I guess...at first we started drifting because he focused more on his bugs, but now...I don't know. I think it's me!"

"Is this the personal thing you had on your mind earlier?"

"No. No, that's...something else," I shifted in the booth.

"Oh...do you want to talk about that instead?"

"It's nothing."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I just...my friend is getting married. I'm invited and-oh, I'm going to need some time off in two weeks to go to San Francisco. But, yeah...my friend's wedding. That's what I was thinking about at the scene."

"Oh. Is that all," she asked, her concern still evident in her voice.

"Yep."

She furrowed her brows in disbelief. Apparently I needed to work harder at lying.

"Strawberry-lemonade," the waitress started to set our drinks on the table. "And your root beer float. Are you ready to order?"

"Um, yes," I said before I ordered my usual entree.

"Okay, and for you," Cheyanne turned to Catherine.

"Uh, I'll have the same."

"All righty then. I'll be back with your food shortly," she said with a polite smile and spun on her heals before she disappeared into the back again.

"I'm not sure you're gonna like what you just ordered," I informed Catherine.

"If it's what you normally get, I'm sure it'll be fine. I trust you."

"I have a strange taste when it comes to food, on top of the fact that I don't eat meat."

"Relax," she reached out and took my hand in hers again. "If I don't like it, it's not an issue. I'm trying something new."

I took a subtle, deep breath and relaxed as instructed before I pulled my hand away from hers.

She appeared a little hurt that I would retract my hand that fast when she was only trying to help, but I didn't like it when people got too close. Maybe that could explain why I pushed Gil away. It doesn't explain why I married him, but it could certainly account for the issues we'd been having as of late.

"I lose you again," Catherine asked as she tried to meet my eyes.

I snapped out of it.

"Huh? Oh, yeah. Sorry."

"Was it the wedding again...or something else?"

"Something else. You actually."

"Me? What about me?"

"I'm sorry if you didn't expect me to pull away," I confessed.

"Oh. It's fine. I understand."

"No, it was stupid. I just...hate feeling vulnerable."

"I wasn't..."

I gave her a stern look that told her not to lie to me.

"Okay, so it hurt me a little. I'm just trying to help."

"I know."

We mostly ate in silence, but kept our friendship in tact as our break came to an end. An hour later, we were back at the lab, looking over our findings.

"You get anything," I asked as I stared down a microscope.

"Nope. ...This sucks. I finally found what I thought I was missing...and it gets me nowhere."

"Well, maybe we aren't looking in the right places," I suggested. "I'm gonna track that girl, see if she knows anything."

Catherine nodded as she continued to stare at the apparently useless evidence in front of her. I walked out of the room and thought about calling Elise, but I knew I had more important things to do. I had to help Catherine, had to do my job, get justice for the victim and closure for the victim's family.

I found the nearest computer, sat down, and started typing as though tomorrow would be too late to find the girl.

**_Thanks for reading. I hope you like it so far. Chapter 2 is waiting to be posted so don't forget to review. :)_**


	2. Chapter 2

When I arrived at my place, I lazily stripped down to my bra and panties and made my way to the bathroom. I checked myself in the mirror to make sure I hadn't gotten too gruesomely greasy or deathly dirty from work and found no flaws except my tired, drooping eyes and increasingly noticeable skin that made me look at least five years older than my actually age.

I dropped my hands to my side and stopped looking at every imperfection before I sighed. I stared into my own eyes for a beat or two before I remembered I wanted to talk to Elise about the wedding. I flew out of the bathroom and grabbed my phone off the counter. Still in my underwear, I started to dial her number. After four rings, I reached her.

"Dennison," she answered like the starving yet confident artist I remembered.

"Lise," I smiled. "It's Sara."

"Sara! Hey, it's been such a long time since we've talked. Have you been getting my e-mails?"

"Yeah, I saw the pictures of you at the vineyard. You look good."

"I feel good. ...Anyway, what's up?"

"I was wondering," I started as I wishfully strutted around my place. "Have you heard about Jenn's wedding?"

"Yeah, I'm actually the best man...so to speak."

"Wha... Really? You're...in the wedding party?"

"Yeah," she exclaimed. "I met Kay a few summers back, invited her and Jenn up to the vineyard, and...well, we've been friends ever since. God, you would've loved it. It's gorgeous up there. We all had a great time, too."

She sounded thrilled as she recalled the event and all I could do was act like it didn't hurt me to hear how close she was with Jenn and her fiance. I definitely needed a hot date for the wedding at that point and it wasn't going to be Elise.

"Is...that all you called to ask?"

"Um...yeah, I just wanted to know if you were going."

"Of course. Are you?"

"Wouldn't miss it for the world!"

She softly chuckled.

"I can't wait to see who you bring. I bet she's a looker."

"Oh, yeah...well, I try not to talk solely about her appearance. She's got more than a great figure to love."

"I'm sure...but the bang-able body is a greatly appreciated bonus," I heard her grin as she spoke.

"Well..."

"Don't deny it. You always knew how to flatter the ladies, get them into bed with you. I should know," she flirted.

I nervously laughed.

"Are you gonna tell me anything about your date?"

"I think I'll let her tell you when you see her."

"Not even an accurate description of what she looks like?"

"Not even in your wildest dreams," I smirked and purred.

"Always so mysterious," I could hear her grin stay smugly spread across her face.

"That's me. The International Woman of Mystery."

"Your classic Austin Powers."

"Except...I have extraordinary teeth."

"Explosively extraordinary," she continued to flirt. "Just out of curiosity...what are you doing right now?"

"You seriously want to know?"

"Yeah. It's late and you called with news of a hot date. Are you with her right now?"

I wish. I wish I even knew who the hell she was.

"She's...around."

"Okay," she sighed, a little displeased.

"Sorry, I can't satisfy everyone," I tried to keep my aloof yet charming exterior.

"Why don't you call me again tomorrow. We really should get caught up. In fact...do you have a Skype account?"

"Yeah."

"We can video chat then. Sound like a plan?"

"You're the boss."

She snickered.

"I don't recall ever being the boss when you were around."

I started to blush as memories flashed before my eyes. Even though she clearly had power over me in the lab, I overruled her between the sheets.

"I'll get on Skype tomorrow, or rather...today. Say around one?"

"Good for me."

"Okay. Talk to you then."

"Goodnight, Sara."

"Goodnight, Elise."

I hung up and softly sighed as I set my phone on the kitchen table. After a beat, I remembered I wanted to take a shower and walked back into the bathroom before I stripped off the remainder of my clothing. I slipped into the shower and felt refreshed as the water washed away the embedded grime of a long shift.

When I got out of the shower, I headed to the kitchen as I towel dried my hair and noticed my phone vibrating. I picked up my pace and jogged toward it, the caller ID reading: Grissom.

"Hey," I rushed to answer in case he thought to hang up.

"Hi. Are you okay," he sounded concerned.

"Yeah, I just got out of the shower so I tried to pick up before you had to go somewhere."

"Oh, well...I'm actually free for an hour and then I've got a dinner party to attend."

"For the panel?"

"Yeah. I can't wait," I could hear his smile as well as his enthusiasm as he spoke. "David Marsh is bringing his black widow. And it's possible there's another research grant in it for us."

I smiled at how adorable he sounded.

"That's great, Gil."

"What's new with you? How are you?"

"I'm good. I'm working a case with Catherine...and in a couple weeks, I'll be with friends in San Francisco."

"Why are you going back there?"

"My friend is having a get together and she's kind of calling all friends," I planted the seed of my white lie. "I haven't seen them in years and since I've got some vacation time coming to me, it makes sense for me to go."

"Well...I hope you have fun when you go."

"Thank you."

I heard a gruff voice in the backyard and Grissom responded with "okay."

"Honey, I have to go take care of something. I guess I didn't have as much time as I thought."

"Okay. I'll talk to you later," I kept a level head.

I was use to his unstable schedule and after a while it all seemed normal.

"I love you."

"I love you too," I truthfully spoke, which, even though I told Catherine I was unsure of our relationship, I still did love him like I'd loved him all these years.

"Take care, my dear."

"You too."

I hung up, put the phone down in the same place I'd picked it up, and slipped into pajamas. I crawled into bed about a minute later and slept off the long, somewhat successfully endured shift.

I didn't wake up until ten and made myself breakfast before I read the newspaper. At around eleven forty-five, I got dressed and watched a little TV before I wanted to get on Skype. Luckily, as I sliced a block of cheese as part of my my pre-lunch snack, one of my favorite movies played in the background. I laughed at one of the jokes as I grabbed the cutting board full of cheese and crackers and headed over to the couch.

It was times like this I never dared take for granted. I enjoyed the freedom, the silence, the peace of mind a simple day at home gave me. I didn't want to do that every day all day, but when I had some down time, I surely didn't miss the opportunity to be lazy.

Once the movie ended, I set the remainder of my snack on the kitchen table, opened my laptop, and started my video chat with Elise.

"Hey," she smiled.

"Hey," I smiled back.

"You look...astounding," she said as she looked me over.

"You look...as amazing as the day I left. ...Wow. It's like no time has passed."

"That's a good thing, right?"

"Definitely. I'm actually a little jealous right now. I feel like the Crypt Keeper."

"Are you kidding? I'd jump on you if you weren't hundreds of miles away."

And if I wasn't married, I thought.

"Well, thank you," I smiled.

"Oh, I almost forgot. What about that date of yours? You've got to give me something."

"I told you...it's surprise."

"Even her hair color? Now that's hard to believe."

"Maybe because she's not just some date this time," I couldn't keep the words from spilling out of me.

"Really? Sara Sidle might finally be settling down? Jenn will never believe that," she laughed.

"I never said settling down."

"You're right," she said as she calmed down from her small fit of laughter. "I'm sorry. Why don't you want to talk about her?"

"She's my best kept secret."

Truly, since _I_ didn't even know who she was. I didn't even know that many women, let alone women that would agree to date me.

"No, what's the _real _reason you don't want to talk about her?"

"You just won't give up, will you?"

"Not a chance."

"Then I guess you'll be one frustrated woman because I refuse to say anything."

"Now I think you're afraid to misrepresent her. Come on! Oh, let me guess. She's a blonde haired, blue eyed babe, probably around 5'6" and exudes confidence."

"Wow. Is that really my type?"

"Yeah," she chuckled.

"I didn't even know I had a type."

"That's a crack."

I snapped out my trance.

"It's really not."

"Just look at your history. There was Chloe, a platinum blonde with brown eyes, but never the less screamed authority. There was Heather, a dirty blonde that liked to be submissive in her private life, but on top of her game everywhere else. And of course, there's me, a sandy blonde that has rough edges, but balances her authority with the act of being a bottom in the bedroom. We were the top three serious relationships for you and we all fit your type in some way or another. ...Wait, does this mean she's not your typical choice for a girlfriend?"

"I never said anything about her being my girlfriend."

"I'm sure you want her to be. Unless you've got some kind of psychological complex that keeps you from letting yourself be happy."

She grinned.

"I just...can't believe you didn't know you have a type."

"She's a redhead," I blurted, unable deal with the truths Elise stated.

"Oh...well, that's different."

Great. I didn't know any women in the first place and I was sure I only knew one redhead.

Why couldn't I go stag, find someone there? If I was as great a charmer as Elise said I was, why couldn't I just prove that any woman would gladly hang around me? And the better question...why couldn't I have said I was married?

"She's still a woman who likes to be on top of her game, right? Because that's something I don't think you can overlook," Elise said.

"You know...I really wanted it to be a secret."

"The cat's already out of the bag. You might as well tell me about her."

I sighed, fed up with questions and incessant teasing.

"She's about 5'6", a natural redhead, blue-eyed bombshell that knows how to get her way and also happens to be my supervisor."

Elise looked shocked for a moment, but it soon passed.

"Well, well, well. Haven't we been busy," she stated with a smirk. "_And_ she's your boss. That just takes the cake."

"I prefer not to think of it like that. She's good to me and I watch her back."

"So...she's not just some piece of ass."

"No! Look, can we talk about something else?"

Anything, please, I screamed in my head.

"Fine," she smiled. "Why don't you tell me what else you've been doing other than your boss."

I gladly moved on to another subject and spent the next hour telling Elise about my travels to Coasta Rica and Paris, and why I came back to the lab. I didn't skip any details except the fact that the friend I mentioned I was with during that time was actually my husband.

"That sounds amazing. I remember...before you left, when we were planning that big vacation...you talked about wanting to see the world. You said, 'I don't know where I'd go, but it'd be anywhere I'm not already familiar with.' You were always such a dreamer...but I guess you finally turned fantasy into reality."

"Wow. You remembered what I said? Verbatim?"

"As I recall, you were naked in the tub with me. Of course I paid careful attention to what you said. I wanted to see you naked again."

"That's the only reason you remember?"

"Honey, I was holding a beautiful, naked woman in my tub. Why else would I remember," she joked.

I smiled.

"Yeah, well, when you're a burn out..you need something to clear the slate. Traveling did that for me."

She nodded.

"I knew you took certain cases too personally, but...I never thought you'd lose yourself."

"I think I knew. I guess I just...didn't want to stop."

She seemed to sympathize.

"But enough about me. What have you been up to? How's the old gang?"

"I've been good. I'm getting a lot more sun than I use to. I'm still single. My last girlfriend didn't gel with the team and definitely didn't hold a candle to you. Tim's as gay as he was the day you met him. Jeff settled down. He got married four years ago and is currently expecting his second child. Uh, Rachel is still straight so...we both lost that bet we made years ago and, um...everyone's great...aside from the fact that we all miss you."

"Jenn's wedding gives me the perfect excuse to come see you guys then, doesn't it."

She smiled and waited a beat before she spoke again.

"Oh...it's getting late. I should get going if I plan to work on my latest project before I start shift."

"Latest project...What are you working on this time?"

"Cartoon painting based on a memory."

"Don't tell me I'm in that memory."

"Actually, you are, but don't be flattered. The way I see it, it's got amazing composition and it's the epitome of carefree joy, a perfect piece for me to concentrate on."

"Always the artist."

"Not when I'm working."

"Even then! You saw things in ways none of us did."

"And you had that neat trick where you could look at a room once and find the tiniest, maybe the most important, piece of evidence. Do you still have that ability?"

"Yeah," I chuckled. "In fact, I used it last night to help my supervisor with her case."

"Mhm," she grinned.

I knew she thought something other than work took place the night before, but I ignored that thought.

"I guess I'll talk to you later."

"You _will _talk to me later. If you don't talk to me at least two times before the wedding, I'll kick your ass when I see you."

I gave her my number and she sent me a text so I could have hers before we ended the video chat. I continued to text her as I sat around and read for a while, but as I opened the fridge for something more than a snack but less than a meal, someone knocked on my door.

I grabbed a sandwich bag of baby carrots and headed to the door as my phone vibrated with another text from Elise. I made it to the door with half a carrot in my mouth and my phone in hand, the text open and ready to read.

As I pulled open the door, I was surprised to see Catherine on the other side.

"Hey. What's up," I asked.

She stood in front of me, staring at me, like she had something to say but feared to say it.

"Can I help you with something?"

"Lunch," she finally said, her eyes wider than normal, but not as wide as saucers.

"You want...lunch," I asked as she let herself in.

I stepped aside to let her through and watched her as she sauntered into my kitchen as though she lived here.

"Yeah, I'll eat anything...just give me _something_ to eat."

I furrowed my brow.

"Okay. ...Why?"

She appeared disheveled, her hair a mess, her clothes barely on her body.

"You know what? I'll help make lunch," she rushed through her words.

She went straight to my fridge and pulled out the first alcoholic beverage she saw. She looked over her shoulder to see my confused expression and my bag of baby carrots. Within seconds, she glided across the room and grabbed a carrot from me.

"Are you...okay?"

She chugged down half of the bottle she had in her hand only moments after she chowed down on the carrot.

"Clearly you're not okay," I rushed to separate her from the bottle. "What happened?"

She attempted to get the bottle back from me, apparently determined to forget something with the way she had poured it down her throat.

"No, give me the beer," she demanded as she reached around me to grab it.

"Talk to me, Cat," I insisted, the beer still firmly in my grasp.

She reached behind me with both hands to get the beer I held behind my back and our bodies pressed against each other. When she was about to get her hands on the bottle, I bucked my hips and pushed her against the counter. She grunted when her lower back connected with the edge of the counter top, but she still tried to fight me for the drink. I doubted that was what she really fought me for, though.

She emitted sounds of frustration as she realized she wouldn't be successful at retrieving her drink. It didn't take much longer before she gave up.

"I spent all night with Lou. He finally fell asleep an hour ago and I took off."

"When you say you spent all night with him...do you mean-"

"I'm almost one hundred percent sure that I had the most sex I've had in my life last night! Considering I was a stripper once upon a time and the fact that I'm fifty-two, that says a lot!"

"Why couldn't you just say no," I asked as I put the beer bottle, my bag of carrots, and my phone on the counter behind her.

"I don't know. I couldn't. It's like...I want to have sex...but not with him."

I tried to sympathize, but it was hard for me to wrap my head around how a woman like Catherine could be disgusted and put off by sex with her boyfriend.

"I'm crazy, aren't I."

"No, no. I'm sure this is some...phase. It'll pass."

"I've only had sex with him for the past two months because I knew I'd be frustrated if I didn't get off. That's the _only _reason."

"Oh...long phase."

"It's not a phase!"

I sighed, trying to think of what to say next.

She collapsed in my arms and clung to me.

"Something's wrong with me."

"Catherine-"

"Tell me the truth. Tell me how screwed up I am."

"I...can't."

"Why not," she sunk her nails into the backs of my biceps.

"Because I don't think you're screwed up. I think you're strong and beautiful...and whatever's going on in your head right now...you'll figure it out."

I gently ran my fingers up and down her spine, between her shoulder blades, to calm her down. She immediately started to relax and brought her hands down to my waist for a more comfortable embrace.

"Thanks," she said into my shirt.

"No problem."

After a beat, she let go and I backed away to give her some pace. She took a deep breath and tried to regain her composure.

"God...I can't believe I bawled my eyes out to you. That's completely unprofessional."

"Hey...in my house...we're friends not coworkers."

She smiled.

"Now...let's get some real food in our systems and enjoy the rest of the afternoon."

"You're...not...going to tell me to go home? To make sure Lou doesn't wake up alone?"

"You can tell him you went into work early and I'll back you up or you can tell him you stopped by the Eclipse before work for whatever reason. ...Weren't you already planning to tell him that," I stayed calm, cool, and collected.

"What's with you?"

"What do you mean?"

"You're different. Congenial."

"As opposed to every other day when I'm hostile and aggressive," I sarcastically said.

"I meant... Hell, we both know you weren't always this mellow."

"And ever since I came back nearly two years ago...I haven't had many issues with my anger."

"True...but...this is...something else. For god's sake...it's you and me!"

"The two the lab voted most likely to kill each other?"

She chuckled.

"Exactly."

"Catherine...when's the last time I ever 'attacked' you," I asked as I used air quotes to describe my past actions.

She paused, a contemplative expression on her face.

"Huh...I guess it has been a while."

I raised my eyebrow in a way that silently said, "What did I tell you?"

"All right...so maybe I'm just not use to you being there to pick up the pieces."

"That's because you don't always need me to save you."

Not like I need you to save me, I thought.

She smiled and slowly nodded.

"I guess Sam scared you really well to get you to look out for me like this."

"I would've done the same thing just now even if Sam hadn't told me to take care of you."

She waited a beat before she spoke again.

"Well...I owe you."

I bit my lip.

"How much do you owe me?"

She knitted her brow.

"What? Already have something in mind?"

"Yeah..." I slowly and nervously started. "Will you be my date to that wedding I told you about?" 

**_Not as long, but just as good? What do you think? Make sure to REVIEW! :)_  
><strong>


	3. Chapter 3

**_Sorry if I didn't catch all of my errors. Enjoy. :)_**

**..._  
><em>**

**Chapter Three**

At the lab, I'd never felt so out of place, so tense, so awkward. Even in the part of the lab I frequented most didn't give me comfort as I found out twenty minutes prior to this moment. Asking Catherine to accompany me in California as my date changed everything. Fortunately, I hadn't run into her yet and hopefully, I didn't have to see her all night.

"Hey...Sara," I heard a familiar voice call out from down the hall.

I turned to see Nick with a confused expression written across his face as he started to approach me.

"What's up," I asked as I physically met him halfway.

"Can you help me process a car? Catherine said you were on loan out and I could really use all the help I can get."

"Yeah, no problem. Uh, so...Catherine's here? In the lab?"

"Yeah, in her office. You need to talk to her?"

"Uh, no. I just...haven't seen her. So, the car! Is it already in the garage?"

I didn't want Nick to know how mortified I was about what had transpired between her and me so I tried to talk about nothing other than work.

"Yeah, yeah."

"Then let's go," I said with a smile.

"I'll met you there in a few minutes. I have to grab some paperwork from reception."

I nodded and headed to the garage as Nick turned and made his way to the front desk. When I stood in the garage, I saw a pancaked car that, as it appeared, was manufactured in the eighties.

"Oh, boy," I sighed with wide eyes.

I knew most of my shift would be spent working on the piece of junk. I went to the tool cabinet and grabbed a pair of coveralls I kept hidden in the bottom drawer. I slipped them on over my clothes and fished for the hair tie I always leave in one of the coveralls' pockets. I pulled my hair into a loose, messy bun and ran through a list of ways to take a better look at the evidence in front of me. After several minutes of debating, I came up with a solution and had the car "re-inflated" within an hour, at which time Nick finally decided to stop by and check on my progress.

"Wow. Lookin' good. What'd you do?"

"Used the 'pump pads'...then I used my muscles to push out the rest of the less intimidating dents."

"Nice," he nodded with approval.

"Where have you been?"

"Ah, some of the paperwork I picked up had to be completed by the end of shift. Ecklie forgot to mention that to me earlier when he told me to take care of it. I'm sorry."

"No, it's fine," I feigned a cool exterior. "I get it. Being assistant supervisor keeps you busy. Catherine was like that too when she was helping Gil."

"What are you doing now?"

"Looking at the steering axle. Maybe this whole thing was an accident," I said before I slipped under the car.

"No. No way this was an accident!"

"That might be easy for you to say," I started from under the car, "since you know the circumstances of the case, but I don't. So it's easier for me not to jump to conclusions."

"How's the axle looking," he asked after a few beats with a self-righteous tone.

I sighed.

"It's fine. A little to the left, but I don't see how it could cause the crash."

"What did I tell you," his voice indicating a smirk on his face.

"Okay, so it probably wasn't an accident...but it's our job to rule out all the possibilities until we find the truth."

His phone went off and not even a minute later, he spoke up with a voice full of distraction.

"Hey, can you take care of this. I-I've gone more things to handle. Busy shift."

"So now I'm everyone's bitch?"

I waited for a response, but when I didn't get one, I rolled out from under the car to see I was alone. I sighed with surfacing anger and frustration.

Two more hours passed and I felt confident I'd retrieved all the evidence that remained in the car. I got rid of the car and did the necessary paperwork that followed, but just when I thought I could finally take a break, Greg stopped me.

"I heard you helped Nick with his case."

"Yeah," I tried to take a deep breath, the tension building within me. "Yeah, I _helped_ him."

"Is it possible that you could help me analyze stuff that I collected from my scene?"

"Aren't you working with Ray?"

"Nick's with Ray, who's still in the wind dealing with personal stuff. I'm working a solo and I feel like I'm falling behind. Catherine said you were free so-"

"Of course she did," I fought off my growing resentment toward her.

"Please. I'll owe you...big time."

"And what about that favor you owe me for fixing you up with that woman?"

"Add the new favor to my credit score of favors I'm wracking up with you."

"Tell me the truth. You really just want to finish this case so you'll have more time to focus on your date, don't you."

He hesitated, a nervous expression on his face.

"Yeah, but you understand, right? And...it's not like I'm gonna ditch you and make you do all the work."

I wondered if he'd talked to Nick because he certainly knew how my shift was going at that point. It was a thought I didn't spend much time on though. I had other things to sort through in my tired brain.

"All right," I said after a beat. "Where do you need me?"

He smiled and pulled me into a hug.

"Thank you! I should buy you something. What do you like?"

"You've known me for nearly a decade and you don't know what I like?"

"You mean other than Grissom," he teased with a grin and pulled away from our embrace.

I smiled at his smart ass reply.

"You don't have to buy me anything," I said as my smile faded. "But you still owe me."

"I know. I promise. Whatever you want, need, or otherwise...ask and you shall receive."

"Okay...shift ends in three hours. If you want me help, you have to tell what you need soon."

"Walk with me," he draped his arm over my shoulder and ushered me down the hall.

He escorted me a few feet down the hall and into a room full of scattered evidence.

"Wow. You really do need help," I stopped in my tracks the second I walked into the room.

For a while, Greg did as he promised and worked with me, but it didn't take too long before his phone went of with an apparently important message.

"Uh, I'm sorry, Sara, but...I have to be somewhere. Can you keeping looking at this while I'm gone? I'll be back in ten minutes."

"Ten minutes," I asked, unsure of what promises he could and couldn't keep.

"Yeah," he said as he turned to leave. "Text me if I'm a liar."

I subtly sighed as I watched him go, but as I refocused my attention on the evidence at hand, I caught a glimpse of something odd. I looked up once again and saw Greg meet up with Catherine. She then took him into the break room with her where Nick coincidentally happened to be in.

I furrowed my brow and watched as the three conversed, even cracked a few smiles, as Catherine started a fresh pot of coffee and the guys took a seat at the table. I stood up and plowed my way into the break room.

"Sara," Nick greeted me with a small smile. "Thanks for your help with that car."

Catherine turned away from the coffee pot with a semi-shocked yet mostly calm expression on her face.

"I was just about to text you."

I shook my head with an angry face that read: "Nice try, bitch. I see what you're doing."

"Well...I'm here now. What's going on?"

"Team meeting," Greg filled me in.

"Oh...why couldn't you tell me that when I was helping you right now," I hitched a thumb over my shoulder in the direction of the lab across the hall.

"I wasn't specific in my text. I told them a few seconds ago," Catherine coolly piped up again.

I clenched my jaw in yet another attempt to conceal my boiling rage.

"Since Ray won't be able to join us and the rest of us are all here...let me start by assigning you two," she pointed at the guys, "to an abduction that occurred in a close-knit residential area. Sara, you can finish Ray's paperwork. He'll be out for another couple of shifts."

"What? There's got to be another case."

"Slow week," she shrugged.

"No, there's no chance in hell I'm going to let you do this to me!"

Catherine turned to the guys before she spoke again.

"Guys...why don't you head to your scene."

They nodded and scrambled out of there, knowing things were about to explode and that they should take every precaution they could. And what better precaution than getting out of the building entirely?

"What is your problem," Catherine asked as she cocked her hip and rested a hand on that same hip.

"You don't get to ask me that. You've been screwing with me all shift!"

"When? We haven't seen each other all night until now."

"You told Nick I was on loan out, you told Greg I was free. ...I've been patiently waiting for a new case to come along, but all you want me to do is take orders like some personal assistant from everyone. I'm not a lapdog, Catherine. ...But I'm sure you already know that."

"I don't what you're talking about. You were free. You could help the boys so I mentioned it to them. What's the big deal?"

"The big deal is something you and I both know. You wouldn't have treated me like a whipping woman if I hadn't asked you out," I lowered my voice, though the anger behind it still evident, as I reached the end of my statement.

"You think that's bothering me," she tried to laugh off the thought.

"And that, right there," I pointed at her face. "Is what tells me it does bother you. You're expression. I know you wish I hadn't asked you, but is that any reason to toss me around like you have?"

"Look, I needed space. You asked if you could take me to your friend's wedding when you're married and know that I have a boyfriend. And straight!"

"Yeah, a boyfriend you admitted to me the other day that you're just using for a release."

"That's not fair. You can't use that against me."

"You're right, but what makes you holding it against me that I asked you, in confidence, to come with me any different?"

She averted her eyes.

"I don't want to talk about this anymore."

"When are we gonna talk about it, Cat? You just walked out of my apartment this afternoon without a single word after I asked you. You at least owe me an answer."

"And I'm saying I can't give you one right now," she made her tone more affirmative and looked me straight in the eyes before she breezed past me.

How long did it take to come up with a simple yes or no? What made her worry so much about how she answered me and why the hell couldn't she talk it out with me if there's any doubt in her mind about the proposal?

I blew out the biggest sigh of the shift so far and headed to the locker room. I needed a break and I knew after all the work I did for everyone else, I deserved one. Two minutes passed and I found myself sitting in front of my locker, legs spread wide, casually, as I fiddled with my phone. I wanted to talk to someone, but talking to Gil wouldn't do much good and Elise was on the clock like me. So instead, I settled for a few quick texts and sent the first one to Elise. Easier to get away with a conversation via text rather than talking while at work.

"I'll kill her!"

"Sara? Who are we talking about?"

"My boss."

"Oh. ...What'd she do?"

"She has me running around the lab serving others instead of giving me a new case. AND I'M THE ONLY ONE THAT WRAPPED ONE!"

"Okay. Calm down. No need for the CAPS attack."

"Sorry."

"Do you think she did it purposely?"

"Really, Lise?"

"Okay, so it sounds intentional. Why would she do it?"

"I don't know."

"Really, Sara? ;)"

"Not funny... Ugh, I guess because she doesn't want to go to Jenn's wedding."

"Why not?"

"Maybe I would know if she gave me an answer!"

"Wait, so she hasn't told you whether she wants to go or not yet?"

"No."

"Well, then there's still a chance she'll go."

"If it's taking her this long to tell me yes or no...she's gonna say no."

"You know her way more than I do, but...it sounds to me like she's considering what that means for the relationship. Did you ever think you're moving too fast for her?"

"..."

"Sara!"

"What?"

"Well...did you?"

"I guess not. But it's a friend's wedding. It's not like she's meeting the family!"

"I think she really likes you. She doesn't want to ruin whatever is it you two have right now. Or maybe she's afraid she'll rush into things when she's really not ready and then everything will turn into chaos."

":( I wish she'd just talk to me!"

"And you can't do that because...?"

"She's an enigma. I never know when to leave her alone or when to step up to the plate and hit it out of the park!"

"Wow. Baseball analogy. Never heard you talk about sports before."

"I know. It's a new thing, you're not use to it, yada yada yada. What am I gonna do?"

"Force a conversation about it."

"She's not the easiest person to talk to."

"So you're giving up."

"Don't judge me, Elise."

"I'm not... She sounds special. Don't throw it away because she's 'not the easiest person to talk to.' You have to work for it!"

"Gotta go. 'Important' people to deal with. Love you. -Lise'

I sighed and slipped my phone back into my pocket. Elise had a point and sometime soon, I needed to have a sit-down with Catherine.

I grabbed Ray's paperwork and headed to the station house to escape the horror of the lab. I couldn't take the small space and, even more so, I couldn't stand to hear someone else ask me to help them.

When I arrived at the police department, a depressing stack of papers in my hand, I saw Brass walking down the hall with a bit of extra weight on his shoulders.

"Brass. What's up?"

"Oh, hey, Sara. I, uh, got a call from Ellie today."

"Not good," I asked as my face scrunched up in fear that Brass' heart had once again been shattered by his daughter.

"Not as bad as I expected, but...there's still a lot of issues to resolve."

"How's she doing?"

"She admitted herself to rehab several months ago and she finally checked me off her twelve step list."

"Well, that's something, right?"

"Yeah," he softly replied as he bobbed his head. "So, uh, what brings you here?"

"I needed a place to do paperwork."

"You couldn't do that at the lab?"

"It's a long story."

"Ah, okay. Well...thanks for asking about me...and Ellie. I have to talk to the sheriff so...can't take too long getting to him."

"Right. I know how that is."

"Yeah," he smiled. "I'll see you later."

"Okay. Oh, and if you need to blow off some steam, unwind maybe, ask me and we can grab a drink."

"Thanks."

"It's the least I can do since you've looked out for me over the years. Plus, it's what friends do."

He smiled again, though the pain was still etched on his face.

"I appreciate that."

"Your welcome," I smiled back.

He walked away and I slowly carried on with my voyage to a quiet room.

In a matter of seconds, I stumbled upon a closed door that looked like a janitor's closet. I figured it could work for me because I didn't need too much space, but suddenly, I heard a questionable sound come from inside.

I knitted my brow and opened the door. The last thing I expected to see burned itself into my brain like a nightmare from hell.

Catherine's legs were spread wide, her knees tightly pressed against Lou's hips as he pushed into her. She clawed his arms, her nails like a rake as they scraped along the length of his biceps. They panted together and the papers gracefully fell out of my grasp as my jaw followed them to the floor.

The sound of the papers as they hit the floor seemed to get their attention, Lou almost giving himself whiplash as fast as his head snapped in my direction.

"Oh, my god. I'm so sorry," I finally spoke. "I'll just..."

I trailed off as I bent down to grab the papers.

Lou hurriedly zipped his pants and rushed behind me to shut the door while Catherine, naked from the waist down, closed her legs and put her knees to her chest, ankles crossed in front of a part of her I never expected to see. She bit her lip and looked down at her knees, I assumed, to keep from seeing my consistent, startled reaction. I looked up at her every so often while Lou assisted me with putting all the papers back in their respective manila folders. She appeared embarrassed and ashamed that I caught her in such a compromising position, but I guess I would be too if it had been me.

"I guess this would be a bad time to talk about that thing I mentioned earlier," I tried to laugh away the image of her giving in to Lou when I looked up at her. After I'd made that comment, it seemed to put her on the verge of tears.

Fuck, I thought as I carefully attempted to remove myself from the situation.

"Well, I'll, uh, see you later," I said to her before I turned to Lou. "Thanks."

I nervously glided out the door in a state of shock I wasn't sure I'd ever overcome. Once outside, in the hall, I let go of the breath I didn't know I'd withheld and closed my eyes to regain perspective.

I shook my head, as though that would erase what I'd seen, and shuffled down the hall until I reached the front doors of the building to escape to my car. I quickly climbed into my hybrid and tore off to a special spot away from what everyone called civilization.

I went to Lake Mead and found a picnic table close enough to the water to calm me down while the sun was still out.

How many times did she disappear with Lou like that during shift, I asked myself even though I doubted I wanted know the answer.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath and let go of all the stress, worry, and newly formed tension. When I opened my eyes, I saw the reflection of the setting sun on the water and watched the lake glisten while tranquility flowed through my veins. After I basked in the beauty of nature, I flipped open one of the folders and started on the first of many papers.

I managed to finish half of the stack and decided to check the time. Twenty minutes until quitting time. Damn, I didn't even notice how long I'd been there. My eyes had even adjusted to the lack of light so I could read what I had to sign.

I gathered the paperwork and got into my car before I casually, unhurriedly drove back to the lab. I risked seeing Catherine again with maybe five minutes to spare before overtime kicked in, but if I didn't hand in the paperwork the repercussions would fall on me. I knocked on her closed office door and heard her semi-muffled response.

"Come in."

She didn't sound like she was getting laid so I opened the door and slowly entered.

"I finished half of it. I left maybe a fourth of the paperwork that makes you want to kill yourself for Ray," I said as I maneuvered myself closer to her desk.

I dropped the bunch of folders in front of her and turned on my heels to leave, but she stopped me.

"Wait."

I automatically stiffened and slowly turned back to face her. She removed her glasses and took a deep breath, but hesitated to release it. After a beat, she finally did.

"What you saw tonight... I-"

"It's okay. I really don't want to hear about your sex life, especially after I saw it first hand."

"If you would let me finish... I want to apologize. I shouldn't have been there...with him...like that."

"I thought you said you didn't even like to have sex with him."

She avoided eye contact with me and twiddled her thumbs in her lap to control her nerves.

"You know what? I don't want to talk about this," I said as I turned to leave a second time.

"Sara..."

I stopped again, but didn't turn around. I sighed and tried to release the anger I felt surfacing.

"How long will you need off for the wedding?"

"A week," I answered with my back still to her.

"And...where will you be staying?"

"I don't know. Some hotel close to the vineyard. I'll figure it out when I get there."

"Do you still want me to go with you?"

I relaxed a bit and turned around, but not all my tension was gone.

"Why now? Why ask that after everything that's happened?"

"I need to take a break."

"From work?"

"Work, Lou, myself. I just figure...if I go as your date, I won't have to hate myself for needing sex to numb my pain, especially since it only makes it worse afterward."

I didn't know what pain she'd referred to, but I needed her and clearly, she needed me more than I thought.

"I still want you to come with me."

She looked up and smiled at me, hope in her eyes.

"So...should we leave in a couple of days," she asked.

"Why not leave later today? Shift is almost over, you're the boss...we could pack our things, sleep for a while and hit the road when the sun comes up," I started to smile.

She smiled again and nodded.

"Sounds like a plan."

"Good. I'll see you at eleven?"

"You read my mind," she continued to smile. "And Sara?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for putting up with me."

"I've had years of experience," I grinned and winked on my way out.

So I went home and packed my things and before I knew it, I was out cold in my comfy bed. Unaware of time, I'd drifted into a deep sleep and felt myself sink into my mattress as the stress from the day dissipated.

I didn't know how long I'd stayed that way, but I started to stir at the sound of the loud dings of the door bell. I cleared my throat, rubbed my eyes, and groaned as I rolled out of bed. Peace had set in and I'd finally felt the weight of the world fall off my shoulders only to wake up unsettled.

I trudged to the door in my undershirt and plaid, flannel shorts, barefoot and sleepy, and saw Catherine's bright and glowing face when I opened the door.

"I guess I'm more excited about this trip that you are," she said as her smile immediately faded at the sight of me.

"I can be ready in five minutes," I carelessly said as I backed away from the threshold to allow her to step inside.

She followed me inside and I headed to my bedroom for some clothes.

"Wow. For a second, I forgot how much of a man you are."

"And...what's that supposed to mean?"

"You roll out of bed and get ready like your hair doesn't need much maintenance, you don't need makeup, and you brush your teeth in record time. All you need to do is scratch your balls and you're my boyfriend."

"Ew. Not something I wanted to picture Lou doing. Does he do that a lot in front of you?"

"God, no. But I've caught him trying to be discrete about it a couple of times."

I emerged from my room with pants and a bra on and passed Catherine to get to my bathroom.

"It's just a car ride," I went back to her comment about my masculine tendencies. "I don't need to look flawless and untouchable."

"Is that what you think of me," she asked as she slouched against the bathroom door frame. "That I need to look untouchable?"

"No," I said as I'd started to brush my teeth a few moments before.

Within seconds, I spit the toothpaste into the sink and spoke up again.

"I think you're hot."

She cocked her eyebrows and pursed her lips to hide her smiled as I finished brushing my teeth.

"Are you ever going to put a shirt on," she asked as I passed her again, our bodies briefly touching as I made it in to the hallway.

"That's what I'm working on. Why? Does it turn you on to see me like this," I joked.

She laughed and shook her head.

"Calm down," I said. "We'll be out of here soon."

"I don't know why I'm so anxious."

As I slipped on a shirt, I went back into my bathroom and grabbed a bottle of pills. I walked out to Catherine and put the pills in her hand.

"What are these?"

"Anti-anxiety meds."

"Prescription?"

"I know. It's illegal, but it's a low dosage and you're all over the place right now."

"Why do you have them?"

"Frequent stress," I said as I walked away, leaving her with the pills so I could grab my shoes. "I don't take them every day."

I finished getting ready within the next couple of minutes and took the pills from Catherine.

"You take one?"

She shook her head.

"I'm taking it with me so if you ever change your mind, just ask."

I gathered my things and we headed to the parking lot.

"Whose car should we take," she asked when we walked outside.

"Did you bring your Mazda?"

"What other transportation do I own?"

"We're taking your SUV. More room to relax."

She smiled.

"I guess that means I'm driving first."

We headed to her SUV and she popped the trunk as I made my way toward it. I threw my stuff in the back and climbed into the passenger's seat. Even though the situation had changed, the fact that I was sitting in a car with her brought one memory to the front line of my mind.

_I walked out of the police department and walked over to Catherine's SUV, parked at the curb. I got inside, Catherine's eyes on me as I sat still, my muscles tense._

"_You got plans," Catherine softly asked as she tried to be delicate with me._

"_Nope," I responded, my focus never leaving the pavement in front of us._

"_You want to get a beer," she asked with a little more force, knowing from experience what I felt._

_I turned to look at her and saw her smile. I looked ahead once again and smiled as well._

"_Drive."_

_Catherine held her smile as she started the engine and put the SUV in drive. With her foot on the brake, she turned to look at me again with a smile she'd work down a bit before she face the road again and let up on the brakes._

_After we drove off, the ride to the closest bar was filled with silence. We didn't need to talk because it wasn't awkward between us. I didn't know much about Eddie, but I knew enough to know he cheated on her. Once we arrived at the bar, I started to get a picture of life with him._

_Catherine gulped down her first drink and slowly transitioned to her second as she poured out her heart to me about her past._

"_Don't get me wrong. Eddie and I had some good times, and out of all the things I put up with I got Lindsey, which was a blessing…but…he lied a lot and he liked to sleep around. He made it easier for me to get addicted to cocaine and harder for me to quit. I even considered having an abortion because when I looked at our life, we weren't fit to raise a child."_

_I nodded, waiting for her to continue, but she only stared into her glass as though it had all the answers._

"_How did you do it?"_

"_Do what?"_

"_Fix things. Overcome your addiction, decided to go through with the pregnancy. How did you find the strength?"_

"_I don't know. I guess…I looked at my childhood and realized, I had the opportunity to be a real mom and do things differently than my mom. When I found out I was pregnant, I wasn't by any means ready…but I made myself ready by the end of my eighth month. I even forced Eddie to get at least half of his life together. He was serious about Lindsey for a while, and after she was born…he never wanted to let her go. When she was about eighteen months, though, he started pulling away from her…and me. A few times he got violent and finally, I'd had enough. I got myself a lawyer and had him sign the papers a week later."_

"_Wow."_

"_I still loved him, of course. I just wasn't in love with him anymore. But…there was something about the way he could make me feel when he was sober, a side of him only I got to see and desperately wanted to see more of before and after we split. And then…he was gone. I never expected him to not be there, but…"_

"_Just like that he was gone," I slowly said as I remembered handling his murder case a little less than a month ago._

"_And no one got punished. He didn't do anything wrong and ended up paying the biggest consequence."_

_I felt worse about how I'd finished the case. It didn't matter how hard I tried to pin the guilty one against a wall, but there wasn't enough evidence. I did what I could to lock up the wrongful parties, but they were simple misdemeanors that didn't make them suffer the way they should have suffered._

"_I'm sorry I couldn't do more," I said as I reached out and placed my hand on hers._

_She collected herself and took a long gulp of her liquor._

"_It's fine. The wound's still fresh, but that's not why we're here."_

"_Look, we should just…drink to what we've lost. Let's not make this about a single person's pain. What do you say?:"_

_She smiled._

"_I like the way you think… Bartender! Can I have a shot of tequila…and another margarita, please."_

_I smiled as well and finished off my beer before I battled with the heavy drinks like Catherine had. A few hours passed and we'd both talked each other's ears off about our lives. At that point, we knew the only way to get home was by cab and since it seemed stupid to end the night there, we shared a ride home._

"_Oh, this is my stop," I slurred with a smile. "Thanks for the ride."_

_I paid the driver and opened the door. When my feet hit the pavement and I stood on the sidewalk, the door still open, I squinted my eyes and thought about the loneliness that would set in when I got inside. I bent down and looked in the cab at Catherine._

"_You wanna come up?"_

_She sighed with relief._

"_I was hoping you'd ask."_

_I smiled and took her hand to help her out of the cab. She stumbled over the curb and ran into me and we laughed at how ridiculous we must have looked. I shut the car door and wrapped my arm around her waist as she draped her arm over my shoulder. We struggled to get to the door of the apartment complex, but when we got there, I used my key to get us in._

_A long five minutes later, we giggled our way down the hallway to my apartment and I fumbled with my key._

"_Just so you know," she started with a grin. "I'm excited to see what your place looks like."_

"_Really?"_

'_Yeah. You always seem like the kind of person that wouldn't have much décor, but I don't know…if you had something to be embarrassed about, drunk or sober, you wouldn't have invited me in."_

_I turned the key in the lock and waited a beat before I pushed open the door. Her jaw dropped when she saw the lilac walls and gold accents._

"_I…never thought..."_

_I smiled, proud of myself for being able to surprise her. She didn't even finish her sentence, but she didn't need to. By the look on her face, I knew she was impressed._

"_I'd ask if you wanted something to drink, but I think it'd be overkill," I slurred bit again._

"_I'm really only tired. Do you mind if I sleep on your couch?"_

"_Yeah, I do."_

_She furrowed her brow, confused, upset, and hurt by my comment._

"_You can sleep in my bed. I'll take the couch."_

"_Are you sure?"_

"_You're a guest. I'm not going to let you sleep on my couch. It's not that comfortable."_

"_Then I can't let you sleep on it."_

"_Cat…relax. I've slept on it a million times. I'm used to it."_

_She sighed, this time in defeat and slight annoyance._

"_You're so stubborn."_

"_As are you, Princess."_

"_You know, just for that I'm not gonna feel bad about taking your bed."_

"_Good. Mission accomplished."_

_She straightened up, ready to square off._

"_I'm starting to think we have more in common than I thought."_

"_And you didn't get that vibe the first time we met?"_

"_I knew we clicked and I foresaw arguments in our future, but I never suspected we'd make great friends. That is, we could be great friends…if you ever let me in."_

"_Oh…wait, so now it's my fault we're not close?"_

"_It's always been your fault."_

"_Oh, right. Coming from the woman who makes it her job to push her only female coworker away."_

"_Oh ho ho," she giggled. "You're gonna get it."_

_She ran toward me and grabbed my wrist. She pulled me ward the couch and pushed me onto it. I laughed and, as she walked over to me, I grabbed her wrists and pulled her on top of me. We laughed as I tried to hold her still so I could flip her onto the ground. She squirmed and fought to pin my arms over my head. She was eventually successful because I couldn't stop laughing, but I still knew how to get her where I wanted her._

_I bucked my hips and rolled over. She fell with me and as we descended to the floor, I unclenched my fists. When we hit the floor, my hands covered her wrists and I was on top._

"_Maybe I'd open up to you, if I could trust you."_

"_You don't trust me," she asked as she writhed beneath me._

"_It's hard for me to trust anyone. If I knew how to trust you, we could probably get a long all the time."_

"_So…you lack the ability to trust. What happened to you/ I mean…what made it so hard for you to trust people."_

_We smiled throughout our serious conversation and giggled ever time we fidgeted thanks to the booze, but we were clearly capable of feeling as deeply as we would if we weren't even a little tipsy._

"_That like…me asking what attracts you to assholes," I chuckled._

"_Well…you're not an asshole," she smirked._

_There was a silence, a moment of true seriousness between us, a connection._

_I then leaned in, as her lips slowly parted, and sealed our connection with a kiss. She adjusted herself beneath me as our lips remained pressed together. After another moment, our lips separated, but the space we created soon disappeared after we gazed at each other, her eyes so blue, so deep and intriguing._

_I leaned in again and this time, not only did our lips touch, but our tongues as well. She slid hers under mind and gave me the power and strength to run my hand along her side. She sighed and relaxed into my touch as her hand came to rest against my shoulder. She flicked my tongue with her own and I could feel myself yearning for her in a way I never imagined I would._

_I felt her knee rise and insert itself between my thighs._

_I moaned and used the hand I'd run along her side to graze up her stomach, lifting the shirt with it. Her hand grabbed mine and pushed it back down before I could reach her breasts. My fingers brushed against the waistband of her jeans when her phone buzzed._

"_Unh," she groaned as our lips separated._

_She reached between us and grabbed her phone from her pocket. She flipped it open and stared at the screen for a little while._

"_Ugh, I should go. I have a few things to take care of before the next shift."_

"_You're drunk."_

"_And you're not?"_

_I rolled my eyes and scoffed._

"_Stay. …And you don't even have a ride."_

"_If Grissom doesn't take care of it and I don't do it-"_

_Are you really going to work around Grissom's lack of political and social skills? Now?"_

_She relaxed under me and almost seemed to give up._

"_You're right. I can't go in right now. I'm hammered…and stuck here."_

_I smiled._

"_But I don't think I can do this. I'm drunk, but not drunk enough."_

"_Are you sure about that," I grinned before I kissed her neck and made my way down to her chest._

_She giggled, but hooked her index finger under my chin and pulled me away from her body._

"_I'm tired…but I appreciate the gesture," she smiled._

"_Fine. I'm coming down from my drunken high anyway."_

_I chastely kissed her before I stood up and offered my hand to help her to her feet. She took it and got up in second._

"_I'll see you in the morning," she said as she headed into my room. I watched her saunter into the room and wished I'd had more time to please her._

_I sighed and headed to the linen closet for sheets and an extra pillow. I got comfortable and feel asleep within the next twenty minutes. Of course, I didn't think I'd gotten nearly as much time to sleep before I was shaken awake._

"_Mm, what is it," I frowned and asked without hardly opening my eyes._

"_Sara," Catherine whispered._

"_What," I grumbled._

"_I can't sleep."_

"_Why not?"_

"_It's weird. This isn't my place and I'm all alone in there."_

"_Has your hangover snot set in," I allowed my grumpy, agitated side to show._

"_Can you sleep in there with me/"_

_Finally, I opened my eyes and saw the desperation in hers._

"_Yeah," I said as I sat up. "If that's what you want."_

_She nodded._

"_Okay."_

_I threw the sheets over the couch cushions and followed her into my room, my bed. I let her get comfortable before I slowly, awkwardly draped my arm over her waist. She sighed in content and adjusted herself so she could mold her body to fit with mine._

_I spent the rest of the night holding her as I drifted into the best sleep of my life._

"Sara?"

I snapped out of memory lane and reentered reality.

"More thinking," she asked.

"Yeah."

I looked at her for a moment, a long one at that, and remembered what I felt when I held her, the form of her body as it lay pressed against mine that night.

I knew then that I was in trouble for the rest of the trip, and possibly longer.

**...**

**_Don't forget to review. :)_  
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	4. Chapter 4

"Hurry up," she begged through the door.

After a quick beat, I pulled open the door and let her in.

"Finally," she pushed past me and shut the door.

"I was in there for a minute...tops," I said from the hallway.

"I had to pee. It felt like a lifetime," she exclaimed.

"Fine. I'm gonna go get snacks. You want anything?"

"Um, Twizzlers?"

"You got it."

"And, uh, could you get me one of those Frappuccinco's? Mocha. I'll pay you back in the car."

"Okay."

"Thanks."

I walked away from the gas station restroom and headed down the candy aisle. I grabbed a few things, an individual bag of chips, Catherine's requested snack, my own choice of a beverage, and a drink I noticed Catherine seemed to like.

Catherine joined me in line as I'd reached the register and looked over the goodies we'd have for the rest of the trip.

"Thanks," she said as the cashier ran up the last of the snacks. We were back on the road in no time, five hours into our drive.

"So...is there anything I should know about your friends, the wedding...why you asked me to accompany you instead of Gil?"

"I already told you he's part of an entomologist panel."

"The same day as the wedding? That doesn't seem likely. What's the real reason?"

I blew out a sigh, worried about her reaction to the truth I was about to reveal.

"My friends...most of them...are gay. In fact...the weddings is between two women."

"Okay...that answers my question about your friends and the wedding. What about me?"

"I would owe you big if you could pretend you're my girlfriend for the week."

"What?"

I cringed.

"Yeah...when I lived in San Francisco, I made my way through a handful of women and...okay, long story short? I described you to a T to one of my ex-girlfriends."

"How did that happen?"

"She and I are really good friends and she kept asking who I was bringing. I caved and started naming your attributes. All my friends were expecting me to bring a hot female date because they know me as a ladies' man, so to speak, and when I said she has red hair and she's also my supervisor, what was I supposed to do?"

"Wow. Aren't _you _lucky I said yes."

"Whatever. You still needed this trip to avoid becoming a nympho. I guess that makes us both weak."

There was a pause.

"We need each other," she said as she took her eyes ff the road for a moment to look at me.

I stared at her for a while before I spoke up.

"Next time we stop, I'm driving."

"Who said we were going to stop again," she grinned.

"You're gonna get tired. Just wait. Besides, don't forget which one of us actually knows the city."

"Shut up," she tried not to sound defeated.

I smiled and shook my head as I turned forward to enjoy the scenery.

Once we got closer to the city, we stopped for more drinks and switched drivers. Twenty minutes later, we passed cable cars and uphill housing. Of course, we wouldn't be in San Francisco too long. A few days tops and we'd be gone for the weekend in Napa. But I planned to enjoy the smell of salt water from the pier, the view of the Golden Gate Bridge, and the friendly company I knew where to find.

"Wow. This place is not at all what I expected," Catherine said as she stared out the window to get a better look at the city.

"What were you expecting," I asked as I occasionally looked over at her to see her reaction.

"I don't know... a bunch of pride flags waving round? ...I've seen pictures and heard a few things about it, but I guess it's a place you really have to see fore you make any judgments."

"Wait...were you serious about that flag thing?"

She snapped out of her state of awe to answer.

"No," her tone indicated she couldn't believe I didn't know she was joking.

I smiled as she turned to stare out the window again. After a beat, though, she spoke up again.

"So where are we staying?"

"I know someone that said we could stay with him until the wedding...free of charge."

"Really?"

"Yeah. He's sweet and he said he misses me so it'd be great to have me close. It's a win-win."

"Nice," she nodded in approval. Is that where we're headed?"

"Yep. He's even cooking dinner for us."

"Is he...gonna be at the wedding?"

"No. He doesn't know any of them...just me. And he knows we're not really a couple."

Other than our occasional conversations, the car ride was uneventful, but sure enough, within the next ten minutes, we were parked in my friend's driveway. I got out of the car and grabbed my things from the trunk. There was no rush, but I didn't want to go out to the Mazda at a later hour. Catherine joined me at the back of the SUV and grabbed her things as well. We shut the trunk and headed to the door.

Before I rang the doorbell, I took a deep breath.

"Okay, so...he's a little enthusiastic. I thought I'd warn you."

She chuckled.

"Thanks. I think I can handle anything you can throw at me on this trip."

"Fine," I said after a beat and the rang the doorbell. "We'll see how well you can handle my friends."

I started to grin, knowing my friends could be a bit much for people that didn't know them, especially not as long as I have.

The door flew open and my friend smiled when he saw me.

"Sara!"

He walked onto the porch and gave me a long hug.

"Dave," I smiled as I embraced him.

"Oh, you look so grown up."

I laughed.

"Thanks."

He let me go and backed away to take a better look at me when he saw Catherine.

"Well, well, well. What foxy woman is this you brought?"

"My date. The one I told you about."

"Hi," he smiled at her. "I'm Dave."

"I'm Catherine," she smiled.

"Well, come in," he backed into his house and stepped aside so we could join him.

Catherine and I grabbed our stuff and followed him inside.

"You remodeled," I said as I took in the new surroundings.

"Finally," another man, a man I recognized, walked in and smiled.

"Hey, Steve," I smiled back as I headed toward him for a hug.

We embraced and for some reason I felt safe and at home, completely comfortable. When we pulled away from each other, he looked behind me at Catherine.

"Hi, I'm Steve," he politely introduced himself.

"Steve is Dave's husband," I said to help with Catherine's possible confusion.

"Oh," she smiled.

"Let's not waste any more time," Dave said as he reached for my bag. "We only have one guest room so I hope you two don't mind sharing a bed."

We looked at each other for a moment, both expecting to hear what he'd just said, but unsure of the other's reaction.

"Yeah," Catherine started before she took her yes off me. "We're close. It shouldn't matter."

"Really? It took me two months to convince Dave to even cuddle with me," Steve said.

"That's because you have a way of seducing me. I couldn't rust myself in he same bed as you."

I smiled.

"Relax. I doubt we'll be spooning," I said after a beat as I patted Dave's shoulder on the way toward the room.

"Let me get it," I heard Steve say.

"Oh, thanks," Catherine replied.

I turned into the room and saw an amazing, queen size bed that invited me to lay on it. I accepted the invitation and turned so I faced the doorway and collapsed onto it.

"Unh," I moaned in ecstasy as my back hit the sheets.

I'd never been so relaxed and at pace. Not even my new place could compare to that very guest bed.

"I see you're already enjoying yourself," I could hear Dave smiling as he entered the room.

"Where did you get this mattress? Don't tell me you stole Cloud Nine."

"Dinner's almost ready," Steve said with a him t of a smile.

"You did steal it,didn't you," I asked with wide eyes as I sat up, joking of course.

Catherine smiled along with the boys.

"Dinner," Dave said as his smile stayed splayed on his face.

I stood up and rolled my eyes with a smile as I walked toward the door.

Steve took the meal out of the oven and Dave helped him serve Catherine and I, my vegetarianism in mind when they prepared the food. After we had filled our plates, ready to dig in, the boys started a conversation.

"So...Catherine," Dave smiled. "We know plenty about Sara. Tell us about you. What's your story?"

"My story?"

"Yeah. How long you've known Sara, where you grew up, your popularity in high school. That stuff."

"Oh...well, I've known Sara nearly twelve years, I've lived in Vegas for as long as I can remember, but I've got some family in the mid-west, where my mom's from. I was a cheerleader and part stripper in high school, and...I have a nineteen year old daughter."

""Wow," Dave said as his eyes grew wide. "I was not expecting that. ...Where do you find these women?"

"Dave," Steve aid through gritted teeth.

I shot him a dirty look as a warning to watch what he said. Catherine's hand came to erst on my thigh.

"Sara?"

I relaxed my expression and looked at her.

"It's okay. I'm not ashamed of my past."

"I know that, but it's till rude."

She furrowed her brow as if I'd said something strange. Dave and Steve looked at each other, both cocked an eyebrow, and grinned.

"What," I asked, feeling as though I missed something.

Dave and Steve, still with grins on their faces, looked back at me and shook their heads.

"Nothing," they sad in unison before they dug into their food.

I shook my head and started to eat. Catherine slowly removed her hand from my thigh and ate as well.

"So...Sara tells us you're her boss. ...What's that like,"Steve asked.

"Being her boss?"

"Yeah. I never got the chance to ask the last girlfriend she had who happened to be her boss so I _have _to ask you."

I squinted my eyes shut and wished he hadn't told her that..

"That ex you said you were still close to? ...She was your boss?"

"Ooh, I thought she knew," Steve cringed as he addressed me.

"Would you look at that. We need more wine," Dave said as he slapped Steve on his forearm.

"We'll get that," Steve aid as they both made a bee line to the kitchen.

"I didn't mention that,": I asked.

"No."

"Oh, well, I thought I mentioned that."

"Wow. I can't believe you have a thing for people with authority."

"That's not what attracts me to my bosses."

"then what is it because you certainly have a pattern."

"Maybe if we were actually sleeping together, you'd know...but we're not. Gil gets it."

"Hey, I'm not trying to pick a fight with you. I think it's funny," she smiled.

"I'm going to bed early," I said with a hint of anger as I threw my napkin on the table.

"Sara," she pleaded as her light laughter subsided and her smile faded.

I didn't look back and shut the room door to give me privacy to calm down. I couldn't understand why it made me angry to hear the truth from her, but I knew something else was happening with me and my emotions.

I went straight to my bag and pulled out one of the books I'd packed, a favorite book that always kept me grounded. I relaxed on the bed, on top of the sheets, legs crossed at the ankles, and picked up where I last left off.

I made it through one paragraph before I heard a knock on the door. There was a moment of silence before the door opened and Catherine carefully stepped into the room.

"Did I hit a nerve?"

"No," I tried to stay clam, reserved.

She slowly approached the bed.

"I'm sorry if I said something to hurt you. I was only entertaining myself with the fact that I finally got to learn something about you."

"That I'm attracted to my bossed? Yeah, that's something to know," I sarcastically said as I continued to stare at my book.

"Maybe if we talked more that wouldn't be the only thing I know," she said as he sat on the edge of the bed next to me.

"Well, that's too bad because I don't feel like sharing."

"Ugh," she exclaimed after a beat and stood. "is is why we always got into fights. You wouldn't let me in so I could at least understand where you're coming from, but you just wanted to me me the bad guy of every argument. You can't keep blaming me for things I didn't cause."

"Here's what I will tell you... My friends are different than the team. There are certain things that are similar about the two groups, but I know plenty of gays and they love to see my dates because I apparently know how to pick them. So...you're going to to have to act like my girlfriend and act like you actually like me."

"I do like you! Maybe not in thee way that I'm supposed to display for your friends, but I've never hated you."

"Fine, but I've got a lot on my mind right now. I don't feel like playing nice."

"God...I don't know how Gil puts up with you."

I clenched my jaw and tried to stay focused on my book. I didn't want to think about him, especially not while I tried to prove I ave a fruitful life.

"Are you sleeping on that side," she asked as she attempted to cool off.

"Yeah," I continued to stare down at my book.

She walked to the other side of the bed and curled up on top of the sheets. She fluffed the pillow in an effort to get comfortable and appeared tense as she remained balled up and exhausted.

I couldn't help but stare at her. I remembered what she said about needing a break from herself and from Lou. I realized I'd done nothing, bot a single thing, to help. When I saw her body shake, I knitted my brow and tried to see over her shoulder to tell what that precious face expressed. It was then that I realized she was crying and it was then that I realized I'd been selfish.

I closed my book and placed it on the nightstand before I rolled over and touched her arm.

"Catherine," I softly started. "I'm sorry. I haven't made this any easier on you and it's not fair for me to demand so much from a friend who didn't have to agree to come."

She took a deep breath and rolled slightly onto her back to see me better.

"If you're apologizing because yo think you're the one that made me cry, save it."

"That's not what I thought. And that's not why I'm apologizing. I'm admitting my faults and...I'm promising, as of right now, to keep the angst level at a minimum."

She smiled as she wiped away the few tears shat had escaped, a laugh buried in her next statement.

"Thank you. Now, I'm gonna finish my dinner and I'll see you in about twenty minutes."

My jaw dropped.

"All of that way just an act?"

she smirked as she headed toward the door and looked at me over her shoulder.

"It always worked on Eddie, too."

"You bitch," I shook my head and smiled as a way of silently giving her props.

She looked over her shoulder again and winked.

"I got you to make a promise, which means I got my way...yet again," she said without looked back at me and carried on toward the dining room.

I rolled my eyes with a smile. If she wanted to make this trip about games, I'd play along, but I could throw a wicked curve ball..and I intended to.

"Catherine Willows! Let the games begin," I said loud enough for the entire house to hear.

**...**

**_Thanks for reading. I know it's shorter than the others, but I've got more in store...once I get the chance to finish the next chapter and post. _**

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	5. Chapter 5

**_So, I don't know how productive with my fics I'll be this month on account of the fact that it's a busy month because I'm getting ready to move, but I promise I'll try my best to update before July. Thanks for sticking with me and I hope you enjoy the latest installment. :)_**

**Chapter Five**

I didn't know what Catherine's deal was, but it was not a pleasant first night with her. The woman enjoyed waking me up every twenty minutes when one of her limbs made hard, hurtful contact with every part of my body. For hours, she tossed and turned and groaned her disapproval of whatever she dreamed about while climbing on top of me when she'd finally shut up about the giant attacking doughnut.

At some point, she gave it a rest and I could get some sleep, but the sun didn't waste any time rising that morning.

I growled at my rude, and extremely bright, awakening and flipped onto my side to hide myself from the day. The day found me anyway, though, when Dave knocked on the door and crept inside the room without permission.

"Hey," he whispered as he approached me. "What do you two think of a lovely brunch at the park?"

"I wouldn't know what the two of us think because one of us is still asleep and the other _wants _to be asleep."

"Come on. Steve and I haven't seen you in years. We've got to do something before you leave."

I sighed.

"Brunch is fine...but I don't know when we'll be ready."

"Okay. Take you're time."

He crept out of the room as he'd crept in and I shut my eyes, ready to fall back asleep.

"Mm," Catherine moaned as she slowly rolled closer to me.

I knew it'd be a matter of time before she'd wake. I had no choice but to finally face the day ahead.

"What time is it," she groggily asked.

"About a quarter to eleven," I answered, exhaustion in my voice.

"Did you sleep well," she asked as she stretched.

"Yeah," I lied.

"Mm...I had a dream about Lou."

"Oh...that would explain it," I said as I sat up.

"Explain what?"

"I swear I heard you complaining about a giant doughnut attack."

She bit her lip.

"Did I really say that out loud?"

"You said a lot of things out loud."

She frowned and sat up.

"I understand why you would use the word 'attack' for sex, but I don't get why he's a giant doughnut."

"I compared him to a giant doughnut, something you want that's bad for you, your health."

"So you do want him," I stated, though I was thoroughly bewildered.

"I don't want to talk about this," she hurried out of bed.

I sighed.

"If you're getting dressed, Dave and Steve just invited us to brunch," I informed her after a beat.

"Okay," she coolly said before she bent down and pulled an outfit from her suitcase.

And I'm the one that doesn't like to open up, I sarcastically thought.

Within the next half-hour, she and I were showered and ready to go, Dave and Steve had a picnic basket full of food and waited at the door for us. They smiled at us as we closed the distance between us and them.

"You aren't planning our murders, are you," I asked as we stepped down the last stair.

They chuckled.

"No," Dave started.

"We're just happy to see you," Steve finished.

"Not too happy I hope because...that'd be awkward," I commented.

They chuckled.

"God, we've missed you," Dave smiled as he pulled me into a hug.

Steve offered his hand to Catherine while Dave smothered me and I wondered what the hell was going on in their minds.

Catherine took Steve's hand and he escorted her to the car with the basket in his other hand. Dave let go of me and put his hand on the small of my back as reassurance I'd get in the car. I had a feeling they had something up their sleeves and I wasn't going to like it.

In the car, things didn't get better and the guys wanted to start something I'd make sure they'd never want to finish.

"How'd you two sleep," Dave asked.

We looked at each other with wide eyes and contemplative expressions, trying to read the other in search of an answer neither of us had.

There was a spark in Catherine's eyes, an answer I was sure she didn't know she'd given me.

"Fine," I forced a smile as I turned back toward the guys.

Dave looked from us to Steve and smirked along with him.

"What," I asked.

"Nothing," Steve grinned in response as he steadily drove.

"That doesn't look like nothing," I said with a furrowed brow as I looked from Dave to Steve.

They looked at each other again.

"Should we-" Steve softly tried to ask before Dave cut him off.

"No, no...they can figure it out," Dave whispered.

I leaned in so my head was parallel to the center console as the guys watched the road.

"You know we can hear you, right?"

My question startled them, causing them to yell and jump in their seats and they looked back at me as I slid back toward Catherine. She smiled, as did I, as she watched them express their shock while I admired my handiwork.

"Geez, Sara. Don't give us a heart attack," Dave exclaimed, hand on his chest.

"Then don't talk about us," I waved a finger between Catherine and I, "like we don't exist."

"Fine, then we just won't talk about it."

"Great."

My phone buzzed with a text from Catherine and I knitted my brow before I looked at it, unsure of why she'd text me if she was sitting right next to me.

'Are all your friends like this?'

I smiled and formed a response. Her phone buzzed a few seconds later and she immediately read it.

'Yes and no. Usually these two aren't as suspicious, but yes, most of my friends can be a bit much.'

She typed her response and my phone buzzed again in an instant.

'I can't see why you ever left. ;)'

I smiled, but it didn't last too long. I couldn't understand why I left myself. All I got from leaving was a husband I had a hard time being around and a troublesome addiction to alcohol I left in my past six years ago. But maybe that's not why I left. Maybe the real reason was a reward for seeing the hardships through. Maybe the real reason, the reward, sat next to me at that very moment.

I couldn't think that, though. I refused to believe that was the purpose for leaving San Francisco, the consolation prize for giving up my friends.

Catherine chuckled as she stared at her phone. I knew it wasn't something I had said because I never sent her a second reply.

"What's so funny," I asked.

She looked up at me with a smile.

"It's Lindsey. She just sent me a picture message of her and her roommate," she happily showed me the picture.

I smiled.

"Did she just take that?"

"Yeah, they've been hanging out a lot and have gone to plenty of weird seminars and things like that."

"She seems to know where the fun is," I continued to display my sincere smile.

"Yeah...I'm just glad she wants to share it with me."

I don't know how long I stared at her, but I took my time memorizing how joy and happiness fit perfectly across her face, the way it gave her a glow even stronger than sunlight, so radiant and serene. I hadn't seen that glow in a long time and it soon became contagious. I smiled as I saw my friend finally act the way I always hoped she would, blissful and carefree.

Then it hit me. The way I once cared about Elise, I found I now cared that way for Catherine.

When I was with Elise, I waited with her to hear the good news, tried to help her through the bad, walked around with pride after all her achievements. In fact, she was probably the past relationship that mattered the most. I did love Jennifer, but we made better friends because it was as deep as my love went for her.

With Catherine, I didn't know what name to give the feelings I had, but I knew they were strong. There was even a sense of protection I recognized. When she needed to get away from Lou, I was sold and immediately wanted to take her with me to California, but when she confessed she needed a break from herself, I knew I had to take her. I would've never forgiven myself if I hadn't after hearing her say that.

I blinked a few times before I reentered reality. As we approached the parking lot, all conversation stopped and we all basked in the beauty of the healthy grass, lush trees, and sun-kissed visitors with smiles plastered on their faces. The last time I was at the park, I was running, running fast, running to escape the truth about my life and the truth was: I had to make a decision between Elise and Gil. Years ago, I picked Gil, but after everything that happened since then, I worried I hadn't made the right choice.

"All right," Steve excitedly smiled. "Time to eat!"

He and Dave jumped out of the car, but I remained frozen in the backseat, staring out at the park. Catherine stopped herself before she got a chance to open her door and noticed me in the same miserable position.

"It looks like you've seen a ghost."

"I think I'd prefer that to what I _can _see," I coolly said like a zombie before I got out of the car.

I didn't look back, but I could hear Catherine get out the car after a few moments of assumed hesitation. I didn't understand why I couldn't find happiness or peace of mind.

"Hey," I heard Steve and Dave exclaim in greeting.

I looked up to see a familiar jogger slow down to talk to the guys and wished I didn't exist. I stopped dead in my tracks as Catherine caught up to me.

"Who's that," she asked as she stared at the fit blonde a few feet away.

"Sara," she called with a smile, followed by a friendly wave.

"One of my exes."

"The ex-boss ex?"

"No," I simply stated as I forced a smile and stared straight ahead at the inconvenience.

"Come here," she beckoned with a light laugh.

"Chloe."

"Which one is that," she asked, the confusion evident in her tone of voice.

I walked over to her with my fake smile, hoping she'd go away quickly. I never expected to run into her again, especially after the way she broke up with me.

"What a surprise seeing you here. Steve and Dave tell me you're in town for the week."

"Actually, it's more like the week_end. _I've got to get up to Napa for a thing."

"What kind of thing," she asked, still with a smile spread wide across her face.

"Jenn's getting married," Dave blurted with enthusiasm he apparently couldn't contain.

"Really," she asked, a bit in shock though she attempted to keep smiling.

I clenched my jaw and tried my hardest not to snap and kill Dave where he stood. If I wanted Chloe to know my business, I would've told her right away about the wedding instead of calling it a "thing".

"Well, that's great!"

There was a pause as Chloe took the time to look behind me and see Catherine.

"And who's this," she politely smiled, pointing at Catherine.

"Oh...this is Catherine, my-"

"Girlfriend," Catherine finished for me as she stuck out her hand for a proper greeting.

"Oh, how nice," she struggled to keep up merry appearances.

"Yeah," I smiled as I played along with Catherine.

Steve and Dave furrowed their brows and tried to wrap their head around the lie. Probably trying to figure out whether or not they should say something.

Catherine draped her arm over my shoulder and smiled at Chloe.

"How long have you two...been together?"

"Going on six years now," she answered.

I cleared my throat and dug my nails into the first piece of skin I could gt my hands on. She responded by pinching my neck.

"Wow. That's...great."

I could tell it bothered her to see me with Catherine, but I needed it to sting as long as she knew I was happy.

"Are you seeing anyone," I asked.

"Uh, I was, but...it didn't work out."

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. But you look awesome. I'm sure you'll find someone else, someone better."

"Right. ...Thanks," she tried to display a sincere smile. "Oh, before I forget. I went to visit Laura last week."

My smile quickly disappeared.

"And?"

"She made me promise to convince you to visit."

Catherine slowly removed her arm from my shoulder and watched our conversation.

"How is she?"

"Lonely. And she said she really wants to make things right with you."

"Why did you visit?"

"Is it a crime for me to see your mother?"

"It is when you're not my girlfriend anymore."

She looked to Steve and Dave for answers, but all they offered where nervous looks that told me they'd all been hiding something from me.

"Okay, what's going on? What don't I know," I asked as anger started to surface.

Chloe looked at me again, fear in her eyes, worry in the rest of her expression.

"I'm not single. I was dating someone and it really didn't work out, but...several months ago I started seeing someone else."

"Okay. ...Why didn't you say that in the first place?"

There were a few moments of hesitation before she opened her mouth again.

"It's your brother, Sara. I'm...dating your brother."

"Oh."

I couldn't say anything but "oh". I was shocked, and slightly outraged, but mostly hurt.

"My ex-girlfriend and my brother," I stated as a way of trying to get use to the idea.

"That's why I went to see Laura. Matt wouldn't and all she's trying to do is reach out to her kids. I was fragile with you whenever she came up in discussion, because every time I tried to push the subject, one of us would always sleep on the couch. ...I'm not going to let that happen this time."

"And...when were you planning on telling me you're screwing my brother?"

"When we announce our engagement?"

My eyes popped out of my head.

"What?"

"We're sorry we didn't tell you," Dave nervously blurted, searching for forgiveness.

"You should see her. I already begged Matt and-"

"Let me guess. He's already gone to see her."

She nodded.

"He saw her a few days ago."

"What?"

"Sara-"

"I don't like liars. I especially don't like the fact that you're marrying my brother."

"Why is that so horrible?"

"I wouldn't be upset if _we _hadn't slept together . But we did, for a while, and now you're sleeping with him. It's awkward and disgusting."

"We love each other. We can't help it."

"Did you love me?"

"I still do."

"Then how the hell could you love someone with a penis!"

"I never put a label on my feelings. I never even said I was gay. This is exactly why I didn't say things like that because I know I can't help who I fall in love with."

"Whatever. I guess I'll see you at the family reunion," I bitterly said before I headed back to the car.

I didn't look back, but I could hear footsteps rush after me.

"Sara," Catherine called me. "What about brunch?"

"I'm not hungry."

I opened the back door and threw myself into the car. Catherine barreled in after me.

"Fine. Then we can hang out there until the guys are ready to leave."

"Why do you care about me," I asked as I tried to fight my anger, sorrow, and insecurities.

"Because you're my friend. I can only imagine what you're feeling right now, but clearly you need a shoulder to lean on."

I looked at her shoulder.

"It's a nice shoulder."

She smiled as I slid down to comfortably rest my head on it.

"This trip is turning out to be a mistake."

"_I_ don't think so," she replied. "I think that it's giving you the perfect reason to let go."

"Of what?"

"Whatever it is that blinds you to this place like a prisoner. Every time I think you're going to look at something and remember the good times, you always end up seeing something bad. Maybe this city brought you a lot of pain, but I know you've got plenty of friends who love you here, so I know that not everything about this place is something to hate or run from."

I took a deep breath.

"That's some...pretty good advice. Maybe...you should take it."

"Are we talking about Lou and me?"

"Yeah."

She sighed.

"You only use Lou for your sexual desire, but have you ever considered the fact that he's a nice guy that more than likely has other things to offer."

"And what if it isn't enough?"

"Then...maybe it's time to move on and figure out what you want."

"What if what I want is something I know I can't have?"

"How do you know you can't have it?"

"I just do."

"Well, if you're basing that off of inference I say go for it anyway. You never know what could happen. Life has its ways of surprising people."

I didn't know what she was talking about, but I stood by what I said.

Catherine looked like she had something to say, but Steve and Dave came back to the car with the brunch.

"Hey, everything all right," Steve asked as he poked his head in the drivers side door.

"Yeah, I just...you know what...let's have brunch already. I'm starving."

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Catherine smile as I opened the back door on my side and prepared myself for a good meal.  
><strong><br>...**

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	6. Chapter 6

**_I would've updated this sooner, but I guess it wasn't in the cards. Lots of running around. Anyway, enjoy. :)_**

I sat at the dining room table with Dave the next morning sipping cappuccinos as the sun's rays melted the dew and shone through the windows. We'd caught up with each other, knowing everything that happened over the years in Vegas and San Francisco. In all our catching up, I realized how much I missed him.

"So..." he started after our laughter subsided. "I thought you broke up with your ex for some guy. What happened with that?"

"I didn't break up with her for some guy. I didn't break up with her! We agreed that moving to Vegas would really benefit me. We knew we didn't want to do a long distance relationship so we decided to gracefully split up."

"And the guy?"

"He was my boss...and...now he's my...husband."

I told Dave everything. We never kept secrets from each other. He made it easy to trust him. He never told anyone what I told him in confidence and he never judged me for things I've said and done.

"Wow. Normally, I wouldn't suggest this because I personally don't believe it's possible, but...did you turn straight?"

I laughed and shook my head.

"Chloe had the right idea by never classifying herself under a single orientation. I get it. I mean, I don't get her and Matt being together, but the fact that you really can't help who you fall in love with."

"Old habits die hard, Sara."

"And what do you mean by that?"

"You brought your current boss, a female, to the city because you think you need to show her off like a trophy girlfriend."

"What's your point?"

"You may have brought her here for that reason," he started after a beat. "But I doubt by the end of this trip she'll still only be the friend that helped you out when you needed someone."

My jaw dropped as Dave stood and took our cups to the sink. I couldn't believe what he had suggested.

"Morning," Catherine said as she strolled into the kitchen wearing black silk shorts and a white, cotton, spaghetti strap shirt.

"Morning," Dave and I said in unison.

"Cappuccino," Dave asked as he raised one of the cups he cleaned.

"Sure," she smiled and took the seat across form me. "So...did I sleep talk again?"

I smiled.

"No. I actually got plenty of rest last night."

She smiled back.

"Good to know I can keep my dreams under control."

I softly chuckled.

Dave cleared his throat as he placed the steaming cup in front of Catherine. He looked at me with an I-told-you-so face and I gave him and smoldering stare down.

"Thanks," Catherine said to Dave.

Dave moved on and directed his attention toward Steve as he joined us in the kitchen.

"Hi, sweetie," he said with a warm smile and gave Steve a chaste kiss.

"Good morning," Steve smiled after Dave pulled away.

"Hey," Catherine started, directing her words at me. "Today do you think we could hang out, come up with a story to tell your friends at the wedding?"

"Yeah, that'd be great. I know the perfect spot, one I've been dying to share with someone since we got here."

A few hours later, we managed to get out of the house and I drove us to the beautiful Rincon Park that overlooked the Bay Bridge.

"Wow," she said in awe as she looked around at the surrounding trees and natural beauty of the location.

"Yeah. I used to take cable cars here when my world started to fall apart. Sometimes I think I felt safer here than I did in my own home."

"Because of your mom?"

I nodded.

"But...after I was placed in foster care, I still came here from time to time. I had to escape my foster fathers."

"What happened?"

"They all used to beat me in one way or another. Eventually, I aged out and things weren't as bad, but...I was in several bad relationships after that and ended up making bad decisions in decent relationships. Once, though, I went for a run after Gil had offered me a job in Vegas and I came here to calmly think things through. This is the place I finally decided to leave for Vegas."

I took a deep breath and continued to stare out at the bay.

"All my life I've only known two things...pain and suffering. The funny thing is...Gil doesn't know half of these things. He asked me once why I was so angry and I told him about my mom, but...we've never really talked about my past."

"Is that another reason you didn't want him here?"

"I've got a list of reasons that explain why I didn't want him to come. It's one of many. Dave's the only one here that knows I'm married to him. I told him this morning. I'm sure he'll tell Steve, but that doesn't matter. None of my other friends know I'm married, especially not to _Gil_."

"A man."

"Right...and given my history they'd hate to believe I've changed this much."

"Are you sure about that? I mean, isn't this what the wedding is all about for you? Proving you've changed?"

When she put it that way, I could hear the selfishness in the statement. I'd managed to do it yet again, put myself before everyone else.

"No!"

She furrowed her brow.

"The wedding is about Jenn being happy and I'm not going to ruin that by making it all about me."

"So...you're going to tell them the truth?"

"Hell no! I'm still telling them you're my girlfriend, but I'm not going to worry about showing off our fake relationship. Here's our story if anyone asks. You're here to meet my friends and show your support. We started dating about six years ago like you told Chloe. If anyone asks how the relationship started...we can tell them that after you had a rough time with something, I was there for you and suddenly, there was a spark. I asked you out and we've been happy together, which is why you asked me to move in with you two years ago."

"Whoa...you came up with all that right now?"

"Yeah."

"Huh."

"I've had a lot of dreams about this."

She cocked an eyebrow.

"Not about us, about the situation, the wedding, ever since I got the invitation. I'm just really stressed."

She grinned.

"I noticed, darling."

I pursed my lips to hide my smile, but I knew she could tell I was smiling. I didn't mind. I was actually happy and I didn't want to hide that.

Even now that we had our story figured out, we didn't leave. We sat there for countless minutes and took in the refreshing freedom the area gave us.

"Thank god I brought snacks," Catherine said as she grabbed a bag full of apple slices out of her purse.

"Yum," I said as I eyed the bag.

She smirked as she opened the bag and pulled out a wedge. She offered the bag to me so I took a wedge myself and I grabbed one without hesitation.

I removed my shoes and socks and took the first bite of the slice. Catherine rid herself of her shoes and socks as well and joined me on the grass. She sat close to me, our thighs touching.

"Okay, now it's time to ask some fun questions," she smirked as she took a bite of her apple slice.

"Fun questions? Like what?"

"Well, like...what's the craziest thing you've ever done sexually?"

I nearly choked on the apple.

"Seriously?"

She continued to smirk.

"Yeah."

I took a beat to let the question sink in.

"What's the craziest thing _you've_ done sexually?"

"Oh, no. You can ask me that once you give _me_ an answer."

I held my breath for a few seconds then let out a sigh.

"Fine. ...The craziest thing I've ever done would have to be," I slowly stated as I attempted to recall my sexual exploits. "Okay, once I had sex in a laundry room while my girlfriend's dad was upstairs. I climaxed just as the load finished and the machine beeped."

She laughed as I smiled through my embarrassment of having to relive that particular moment.

"Okay...you're turn," I tried to get an answer out of her before I turned as red as a tomato.

"Wait, wait," she said as she tried to control her laughter. "Give a girl time to process that one."

I bit my lip and attempted to keep the level of red in my skin tone to a minimum.

"All right...woo. The craziest thing I've done...let's see...when I had sex with Eddie on every surface of his best friend's place," she grinned.

"Damn. Did the friend ever find out?"

"No, but he did come home early and since Eddie and I didn't want to stop, we kept quiet. The thrill came from the danger of getting caught in the act and at that point, he and I were finally on his friend's bed."

I chuckled.

"Unbelievable."

"Yeah, well, those crazy days are over. They have been for a long time."

"I don't want to bring up something you don't want to think about during this trip, but I've got to say...you really seem to enjoy the possibility of getting caught."

"Uh, yeah. I guess I do."

I looked at her as she stared into the glimmering water and something washed over me. I no longer had control of my body and in an instant, I leaned in at just the right moment. Catherine turned to look at me right when our lips met and suddenly, though the kiss was shallow, I felt everything else fall away. I slowly pulled away a few seconds later and realized what I'd done.

"Wait," she started after a beat. "You said your girlfriend's dad was in the other room. ...Deny it all you want, but you like to live on the edge too. He could've caught you."

I chuckled.

"Fine. I admit, those wild days are behind me, but-"

"Not really. All those years you spent with Gil behind everyone's back?"

"It's not like we were having sex in an evidence room!"

"That's not the point."

"It isn't?"

"No, there's other ways of getting caught and you pushed those boundaries plenty of times."

"What do you mean?"

"I saw the way you looked at him and him at you. Besides, you could've slipped up and called him Gil instead of Grissom while he was handing out assignments."

"But I didn't, did I?"

She shook her head after a beat.

There was an awkward silence that held our tongues hostage for several moments. I wondered about the kiss and why she hadn't thought to talk about it, but the moment passed as our conversation resumed.

"Maybe we should go," she finally said.

"And do what?"

"I don't know. ...You could show me the rest of the city."

"The only reason I know so much about this city is because I moved around a lot. I can't guarantee I know the best places to hang out other than a few bars here and there...but I know my way around the streets."

"Then we can have an adventure," she said as she took my hand and stood up.

I smiled as she pulled me along with her to the Mazda. We ran through the grass barefoot and, by the way she moved, Catherine didn't seem to have a single care in the world.

We ran around the entire city for hours trying to make it through excruciating traffic and eventually found a spot to grab a drink. From the outside, I didn't recognize the place, but once I was inside, I quickly realized I didn't want to be there with Catherine.

"Uh, this place sucks. We should go," I tried to yank her out of the bar as I glanced around to ensure we wouldn't run into anyone I didn't want to run into ever again.

"What? Just a few minutes ago you said you didn't know anything about this place and now you say it sucks?"

"I've, uh, heard plenty of negative things about it."

"From who?"

I grabbed her wrist again and pulled her toward the door with me.

"Uh, Dave and Steve."

"What," she questioned my source as she fought to free herself from my grasp.

"Yeah, yeah, they warned me about this place not too long ago."

"When?"

"I think you were asleep. Come on," I tried to pull her away once more.

She shook her head and looked at me like I was a lunatic. I noticed a familiar silhouette behind her, one that rapidly approached us.

"Oh, fuck," I squeezed my eyes shut and smacked my hand against my forehead.

"Sara," her seductive voice greeted with a sadistic grin I remembered well enough to know I didn't want to remember it at all.

"Vanessa," I couldn't help but sound like I was chewing broken glass.

Catherine turned to see the woman that had said my name and did a quick head-hunt between her and me.

"What dragged you back to my bar?"

"Uh, nothing in particular."

"Really? Word around town is you took off years ago. Why are you back?"

"Whatever reason I have for being back in San Francisco is none of your business."

"It is when you have the balls to walk your cheating ass into my bar after all these years and bring some skanky older woman along for the ride."

"Excuse me," I instantly started to defend Catherine.

"C'mon, Sidle. Who are you kidding? She's probably the only woman desperate enough to fuck you _and _put up with your bullshit. You've got issues and you're not welcome here."

I invaded her personal space and clenched my jaw before I spoke again.

"I'm glad I'm not welcome here. More people should be unwelcome. This dump hasn't changed a bit since I fucked your best friend on every surface of your office upstairs and your little sister on every piece of furniture in this place."

"My sister? You fucked my sister too?"

I grinned.

"She didn't want to tell you because she was worried you'd hate her and I was more than compliant to keep it a secret. I liked keeping secrets from you."

"You bitch!"

"Yeah, it doesn't make any difference. I still fucked them...multiple times. And every time was more pleasurable than being with you."

"Get out!"

I chuckled like the devil himself as I made sure to push a button that would reward me with the victory of our small but widely public battle.

I took Catherine's hand, laced our fingers, and escorted her out of the bar. Once we were outside, I started to laugh. Catherine didn't seem to find the comedy in the situation though as she tore herself away from me.

"What the hell? Who was that?"

"Another one of my exes."

"I got that. ...Did you really sleep with the two people she knew she could trust?"

"Sleeping with them would imply I stayed the night, in a bed. I did no such thing. I had sex with both of them."

"Oh, my god! And you're laughing about it?"

"Yeah."

"Sara!"

"What," I couldn't stop laughing, but I soon noticed the hurt expression on her face and remembered how many times she'd been cheated on. "Oh, look, she was a pest and I was messed up back then. I didn't know how to end it."

"So you cheated on her so you wouldn't have to use your big girl words to break up with her?"

I hesitated.

"Yeah," I slowly admitted. "I guess you could say that."

"Wow. And here I thought you were different. Turns out you're exactly like every asshole I've ever been with except for the pluming."

She stormed off.

"No, Catherine. Wait!"

My laughter dissipated in an instant and I chased after her. I grabbed her by her wrist and spun her around to look her straight in the eyes when I told her the next thing I had to say.

"Hey, it's not an excuse, but it's not like I knew anything else. I was young and reckless and learned from the best at being an asshole...every father figure I was forced to have in foster care."

"You're right. That isn't an excuse," she slipped out of my grip.

"Wait," I spun her around again. "I wasn't always such a douche bag. She was one of my earliest relationships, it didn't last long, and it was never serious. Now what is this really about, because it feels like a personal attack on my character."

"Of course it is! How can I be friends with someone like you, the epitome of everything I stand against?"

"Like I said...I wasn't always like that. I changed. _You_ know the Sara Sidle that hasn't ever cheated on her husband, the Sara Sidle that promised to keep the angst level at a minimum. That woman in there knows the Sara Sidle that never did anything for anyone unless it benefited her, the Sara Sidle that never made a promise she didn't break the second a person's back was turned. Trust me when I say this...I hated myself for a long time back then."

She sighed and avoided eye contact for a few moments.

"So...can you still be friends with me?"

She took a deep breath as she lifted her head and looked at me again.

"Yeah. Just don't pull any of that shit on Gil or I'll kick your ass."

"Understood...and I have no intention of cheating on him."

I inwardly gulped down a lump of lies. I couldn't confess I'd already had plenty of thoughts about cheating on Gil, not even to myself. I knew he and I needed to have a conversation, but how could we if he never listened to me?

Catherine and I got into the SUV and aimlessly drove off. After running into an ex like Vanessa, I thought about how much I didn't really miss the city after all. Looking at it from a new perspective, I came up with the real reason why I got the hell out of Dodge. I needed to escape the remnants of my past exploits. I was on the path of self-destruction and Elise could see that. So I packed up and took a job with a man I knew could keep my head above water, at least for as long as miracles lasted.

"Some adventure today turned out to be," I said as we continued to drive.

Catherine formed a small smile.

"It could've been worse."

"How?"

"You could have tricked your ex back into the sack," she smiled.

"So _now_ it's okay to make jokes?"

Her smile widened.

"Yeah," she started to laugh.

"Thanks. Thanks for the support."

"It's your fault," she laughed harder.

"Whatever. She needs to get over it. I mean, who holds a grudge for twenty some years?"

"I think I could."

My jaw dropped a few inches.

"Well, I'll try not to cheat on you then," I self-righteously said.

She laughed again.

"You'd be lucky to score a woman like me."

"I'd be lucky to score _you_," I mumbled.

"What?"

"Huh? Nothing."

"Didn't sound like nothing. What did you say?"

"Oh, just that anyone would be lucky to 'score' a woman like you."

"Thanks," she slowly said as though she wasn't entirely sure she should believe what I said in every sense of the insecurity.

"What do you say we call it a day," I rushed to change the subject. "We should head up to Napa tomorrow so we need some rest before we leave. Besides, Dave and Steve want to spend a little more time with me, and ostensibly you, before we go so we can use whatever time we have left for tonight."

"Okay. ...Anything to keep me from running into any more of your exes."

"You know me so well."

We smiled and headed back toward Dave and Steve's house. Yet another crisis averted. I hoped there wouldn't be anymore crisis' once we were at the vineyard, but with my luck, it didn't seem likely I'd get my wish.

**...**

**_More to come. :) Please don't forget to review._**


	7. Chapter 7

**_Here's a treat since I'm late on my promised update. Enjoy. :)_**

**Chapter Seven  
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I loaded Catherine's suitcase into the trunk first as she said her goodbyes to Dave and Steve. I tossed mine into the back afterward and took a deep breath, releasing it with a large sigh. I settled my hands on my hips and watched the interaction between the boys and my boss. Even though we hadn't spent much time with them, she seemed to have formed a bond with them, much as I had when I first met Dave.

"All right, so...you're all packed and ready to go," Dave asked as Steve gave Catherine a hug. "You're not forgetting anything?"

"Nothing you can't mail us if that's the case," I said as I made my way toward the couple.

Dave sighed and looked at the ground for a moment before I gave him the chance to finally hug me.

"I wish you didn't have to leave already," he said as he opened his arms for a friendly embrace.

"I know, but I promise to keep in touch," I said as I squeezed him during our hug.

"You better. It's been over a dozen years since we've heard from you."

Steve patted Dave's back to get him to let up on the hug.

"I'm sorry. But things are going to be different this time."

"Good," Steve smiled before he pulled me into a hug. "Because we love hearing from you. I don't believe you've ever lived a boring life, Sara Sidle."

"If only!"

Catherine and the guys smiled.

"Well, we should get going," I said after a beat. "Take care, guys."

"Right back at you," Dave spoke for both of them as they smiled.

Catherine and I made our way to the Mazda and, even as I pulled out of the driveway, I stared back at the happy, waving couple. I smiled and waved back before we disappeared down the street. I pressed the control to play one of the CDs Catherine currently had in her car to fill the emptiness of having to leave too soon.

"Those two are my favorite gays out of all the gay friends I have."

"And why's that?"

"Because they know how to have fun. All the others...they're mostly women so they all have their shit. It's a lot of drama most of the time."

"Oh, great," she grumbled. "Well, at least it's someone else's drama and not my own."

I smiled.

After a few moments of listening to the music as it controlled the atmosphere, I furrowed my brow and skipped to the next song.

"What other music do you have," I asked as I messed with the track and CD numbers in search of my answer.

"No, wait," Catherine begged as I hit the button to play the sixth disk in the player.

Unfortunately, it was too late to protect herself as the first track started to fill the SUV.

I smiled and tried my hardest to contain my laughter, but was unsuccessful.

"Foreigner," I asked as I continued to laugh.

"It's my guilty pleasures mix," she said as she turned off the stereo.

"Oh, come on," I smiled as I turned it back on and skipped to the next song.

Another familiar melody hit my ears and I grinned. I started to feel the rhythm and tapped the steering wheel as I grooved to the introduction.

"You're a real tough cookie with the long history," I started to sing. "Of breaking little hearts like the one in me. That's okay. Let's see how you do it. Put up your dukes. Let's get down to it. Hit me with your best shot. Why don't hit me with your best shot."

Catherine smiled and started to laugh.

"Belt it out with me, woman! It's a guilty pleasure for a reason," I smiled.

"Fire away," we sang in unison with Pat Benatar.

"You come on with a come on with a 'come on'. You don't fight fair, but that's okay. See if I care," we continued to sing. "Knock me down. It's all in vain. I'll get right back on my feet again."

We laughed for a small time before we jumped back into the song.

"Why don't you hit me with your best shot?"

For most of the drive, we sang loudly to every old school tune Catherine had on the CD and indulged in every guilty pleasure except for the one that involved kissing her again. We enjoyed each other's company as two friends until we reached one of the finest and most beautiful vineyards in Napa, California.

"Wow. This place is not at all what I imagined it to be," I stared in awe at it as Catherine and drove down the dirt road, past rows of homegrown grapes, to the driveway of a large cabin-style house.

"You've never been here," Catherine asked with an incredulous expression on her face.

"Elise mentioned this place a few times, how she thought we should invest in it. I never got the chance to get in on the action. I can see now that I should've jumped at the opportunity."

"Huh," she said as she took a look at the place as I parked the SUV.

We stepped out onto to California dirt and immediately, someone came out to greet us.

"Oh, my god! Sara!"

I smiled, more than thrilled to see her. She was more tan, had tighter thighs, and a precious glow about her I didn't dare try to diminish.

"Jenn," I greeted as she leaped into my arms for a hug.

I squeezed her tight and smelled her intoxicating shampoo. I felt her smile on my neck as she gently nuzzled herself into it.

"I'm so glad to see you," she said into my skin.

"You don't know how much this moment means to me," I confessed as she started to slip out of my grasp. I didn't want to let her go, but I knew I had to. "You should have called me. I would've loved to be in the wedding party."

"Oh, well...I don't know if this is going to make you hate me less or more. ...My mom refuses to even come to the ceremony, being a homophobe and all, and...my dad...passed away a few years ago, so...would you give me away?"

My jaw dropped and I heard Catherine's do the same.

"Wow. That sounded a lot more honorable in my head," Jenn nervously said.

"No...no, I'll do it. I'll...give you away. Just tell me I get to meet...Kay?"

"Yeah, Kay," she smiled. "You remembered."

"Of course. I need to know who's ass I'm going to kick if anything goes wrong."

"Sara," she warned with a hint of laughter as her smile widened. "Promise you won't be an asshole?"

"How many people do I have to convince that I left that kind of behavior in my past?"

"Everyone that knows you were the worst of all assholes in your day," Catherine piped up with a grin she approached Jenn.

She stuck out her hand in greeting and Jenn shook it as her smile started to wear down.

"Hi, I'm Catherine," she introduced herself. "Sara's girlfriend."

"I'm...Jenn," she put on a polite face. "I'm...sorry. I must be hearing things. Did you say girlfriend?"

"Yeah," Catherine smiled. "Although we're more like life partners. Right, honey," she asked as she backed away from Jenn to stand beside me.

"Oh, yeah. We're stuck together like super glue." I smiled at her and then at Jenn.

"Huh," Jenn replied as she tried to maintain her polite smile. "Well, why don't you come inside, take a look at the place."

I looked at Catherine, as she looked at me, and we smiled at each other before we followed Jenn into the cabin.

My eyes widened at the sight of it. The cabin was well-furnished and had Elise's artistic touch splashed all over it. I smiled, seeing what she'd accomplished since I left, and took a good look around. I definitely didn't want to leave the place any sooner than I had to.

"This is amazing," I said as I stared up at the ceiling. "The detail is...unbelievable."

"Thank you," an all too familiar voice spoke.

I leveled my eyes again to see Elise smiling a few feet in front of me.

"You look incredible, Lise," I said before I smiled and went in for a hug.

She caught me in a tight embrace and for a minute, I thought she would never let me leave her side.

She slowly released me and continued to smile.

"It's good to finally see you in person again."

"Same here," I smiled as I looked her up and down, taking in the life I once had with her.

Suddenly, I saw flashes of that life as I memorized the current curves of her body, which I'd done many times in the past. I saw her on top of me, smiling the same way she smiled at me now. I saw her teasing me in the kitchen after a long shift as we stayed in for breakfast. I saw her reassure me when I felt insecure. I saw her take my hand and lead me into something new and exciting.

Catherine once again stepped up and wrapped her arm around my waist. I crashed back into reality and smiled before I spoke.

"Elise, this is Catherine."

"Oh," her smile became less predatory and more welcoming as she shook Catherine's hand. "I wish I could say I've heard a lot about you, but Sara didn't want to talk to about you to much."

"She likes to keep me her little secret and...we're so used to hiding when we're at work so...I guess it's just second nature," Catherine smiled.

"I remember those days," Elise said as she took her eyes off Catherine and made me the target of her comment.

"So...what are the sleeping accommodations like," I asked.

"Why don't I give you two a tour of the place," Elise offered.

"That'd be great," Catherine spoke for me as well.

I wasn't sure I wanted Elise to give us a tour, but when I really thought about it, I figured there wasn't much she could do to make it awkward.

"Come on," Elise signaled us to follow her to the back of the cabin. "This is the dining room. It's perfect for wine tasting and of course, eating."

"It's a generous sized table, too," I said as I looked at the wood work. "Made out of soft wood?With an incredible finish?"

"I wanted to make it feel like a cabin in the woods, a cozy, homey feel. Remember? This is what we talked about."

"Right. I remember. I just...wow, it's...nice to see you got what you wanted," I smiled.

"I got more than what I wanted from when we first starting talking about this place," she smiled back. "Of course, my life is far from complete, but...I do okay."

I lightly chuckled.

"This over here," she threw her arm to her left to show us the next room, "is the kitchen. I went a little modern with it, but the cabinets and floors are wood. The counter tops are granite, as you can see, and the finishes are astounding. I wasn't expecting the contractors do such a great job. They knew exactly what I was going for and they made it happen."

"That's awesome," Catherine said. "I have this casino...no one sees it the way I do. I can't get them to make the proper changes without them screwing up the wires or something like that," she laughed.

"You own a casino," Elise asked, shocked.

"Yeah, my dad was a big name in Vegas. When he died, he gave me complete control over it...if I wanted it."

"So...you don't work at the lab with Sara?"

"Of course I do. I manage the casino during my off hours. I'm considering running it full time, but Sara and I need to talk about that a little more before I make any decisions."

"Oh, so you're still her supervisor," Elise stated to confirm what she thought she heard.

"Yes," Catherine smiled.

Elise nodded as she attempted to keep up her "all smiles" act, but I detected a hint of jealousy.

"Well, you haven't seen the best part. The upstairs is phenomenal. Oh, but we do have an indoor pool and recreational room down the hall. Those rooms are almost not connected to this 'get-away cabin' because the door leads you to a hallway that goes on for a little while before you get to the pool. The rec room is above it on the second floor."

"Wow," Catherine and I simultaneously said.

"And the upstairs is the best part," I asked.

Elise smiled.

"You'll understand when we get up there."

I furrowed my brow as I wondered what was so spectacular about the second floor, but fortunately for me, it didn't take long to figure it out.

"Whoa," I glanced around the log heaven of an upstairs.

Everything felt genuine and authentic as we followed Elise to the bedrooms.

"We have nine rooms up here, all able to fit at least three people in each, and every bed is a queen," Elise proudly stated.

"Nice," I mindlessly said as I glanced around in awe.

"Here's the room you two will be staying in," Elise opened the door and stepped aside for Catherine and I to enter.

"Oh, boy," I said as I took in the romantic theme of the room.

"Yeah, for the wedding, Jenn thought all of the rooms should have a romantic getaway feel," Elise laughed. "You should see my room."

I looked at the cherry blossom color scheme and couldn't believe I'd be stuck in a perfectly pink wedding. At least I could find the beauty in cherry blossoms.

"I guess I'm gonna have to go shopping," I said as I looked around at the pink and white heart shaped pillows.

"Oh, no need. I remembered your dress size so I went ahead and included it in the order," Elise smiled as she headed toward the closet.

She opened the door to reveal a precious dress that, even though it was white and cherry blossom pink, it looked absolutely breath taking.

"Wow. Jenn really knows how to plan a wedding," I said as I stared in awe at the hanging dress.

"Well, her own at least. I love the colors, too," Elise continued to smile as she ran her fingers over the dress.

"You're gonna look amazing in that, honey," Catherine decided to chime in.

I turned to her and smiled. Half of me wanted to laugh at her perfect timing and cute deliverance of every comment interjected, but, out of self-restraint, I only smiled.

I could feel Elise's eyes on us as I stared at my savior and thought of all the years we spent fighting when we could have been friends instead.

"Thanks, sweetie," I finally said to Catherine before I returned my focus to Elise.

"Well, maybe I should give you two some alone time," Elise's smile started to fade as she tried to leave the room.

"Lise," I stopped her. "We don't want alone time."

"Yeah, we've got plenty of time for that the rest of the trip. Show us around the place some more," Catherine smiled like she was actually trying to make friends with Elise.

Elise forced a smile back on her face.

"Okay," she said with a hint of pain in her voice.

I didn't know what it was with all of my friends, but something about me being with Catherine made them itchy. I hadn't been with Jenn in a long time and even when I was with her, I didn't respect her. I understood why Elise might not be enthusiastic about Catherine's presence, but I always hoped for her happiness over the years. I certainly spent more time hoping for her than mine.

Elise gave us the full tour of the place and I was thoroughly impressed. Elise had managed to put her heart and soul into something that could have easily fell through, but she had a way with making things work. I was proud.

"You've really done a nice job, Lise," I smiled as we came back to the bar and kitchen downstairs.

"Thanks. I really wish you could've been a part of it," she confessed.

"No time to dwell," Jenn jumped in. "You've got to meet Kay."

"Great," I smiled.

"Oh, you're going to love the way you're going to meet her," Elise started to grin again as her words were laced with sarcasm.

"Wait, how am I meeting her," I worriedly asked as Elise and Jenn walked off in the direction of a Jeep.

Within ten minutes, I figured out why Elise grinned. I had followed the Jeep back to a luxurious stable several miles from the vineyard. Horses. There were at least three out in the open, tied to a post just outside of their appropriate stalls.

"Great," I now lacked eagerness.

"What's so bad about horses," Catherine laughed as she looked at me for an answer.

"It's not a problem," I tried to shrug it off.

"Yeah, and I'm the President of the United States," Catherine laughed a little more.

She and I got out of the Mazda and approached the Jeep, which was parked at the stable entrance.

"Kay's been riding all morning. She loves it out here...and I don't blame her," Jenn smiled as she took a deep breath and let the fresh air fill her lungs.

"She's probably at the camp site," Elise directed the comment at Jenn.

Jenn nodded then looked at me.

"So...are you up for it," she asked.

"Up for...what," I asked, hoping she wasn't suggesting what it sounded like she was suggesting.

"Riding out to the site," Jenn patiently answered.

I stood frozen in fear. I most definitely wasn't up to riding out to the site.

"Of course she is," Catherine spoke up to save the day as she rubbed my back. "Right, honey?"

She pinched my left side less than an inch above my waistline and turned a few degrees to make the conversation a little more private.

"You don't want to make this all about you, don't you," she said as though she really were my girlfriend, angry that I might back out of a promise.

"Right. ...Yeah, I'm ready," I tried to speak firmly even as I wavered.

"You'll make an honest woman of her yet," Elise joked with a smile.

"All right," Jenn smiled.

She and Elise walked into the stables and I tried to nervously follow them, but Catherine stopped me.

"Hey, what's going on with you?"

"What do you mean," I tried to act suave.

"Are you afraid of horses?"

"No!"

Catherine cocked both of her eyebrows.

"Really, because it feels like you are."

I scoffed.

"Okay. I don't..." I sighed, scared she would laugh at me and my imperfections. "I don't know how to ride a horse."

"That's it?"

"What do you mean 'that's it?' The last time I tried to ride one, I made a fool of myself in front of a lot of people. Oh, and I also fell off the damn thing."

Catherine chuckled.

"Are you afraid to get on a horse in front of everyone because of that?"

"Well...yeah. But when you say it like that you make me feel like a wimp."

She smiled.

"I'll help you."

"No, it's fine. You can follow Jenn and Elise. I'll catch up with you guys in a few minutes."

"Sara, riding a horse is like riding a bike."

"I suck at that, too," I admitted with a bit of insecurity.

"Oh, honey," she smiled through her pity face. "Come on."

She grabbed my hand, but I slipped out of her grip before she could drag me along with her.

She rolled her eyes and attempted to grab my hand again.

"Come on. I'll show you."

I sighed as I let her take my hand and followed her in to the stables. Jenn and Elise were already on their horses and headed out.

"We'll meet you out there," Catherine said as she looked up to make eye contact with them.

"Okay," Jenn said as Elise looked at me.

"Just follow the trial," Elise told Catherine, but her eyes were glued to mine. "The trees are marked with neon yellow tape."

"Cool. ...Any preference to what horses we take," Catherine asked as she eyed the stalls.

"Not at all," Jenn gingerly said with a smile. "Kay's got her favorite horse and Elise and I always ride these two so...feel free to choose whatever horse you're comfortable with."

"Thanks," Catherine smiled at Jenn.

"Come on," Jenn said as she eased the horse toward the stable doors.

Elise followed her lead and finally took her eyes off mine as she looked forward.

The second both horses stepped out of the stable, they quickly galloped away and left me to my death.

"Stop looking at this place like a future crime scene. You're not going to die here," she said as she calmly opened a stall and guided a horse to the center of the stable.

I backed away as the horse sneezed and didn't want to take a single step closer.

"I'd put you on a smaller horse, but they're all this big so..."

"Whoa, I am _not _getting on that thing."

"Well, maybe they'll treat you better if you stop calling them _things_," she smiled. "This is a Morgan mare. They're friendly so you're safer with this one."

"I'm still not getting on it."

"A mare is a female so she's a her not an it. And you don't have a choice. Besides, I'm here to help, so...you're even safer."

"I don't know," I stared at the horse.

"Do you trust me," she asked as she caressed the mare's side.

I looked between her and the horse and let her words sink in. I didn't have a choice. I needed to get on the horse for Jenn and by the way Catherine acted in the stable, she seemed to know enough for me to trust her about all horses.

I took a deep breath and walked around to the side of the horse. She turned her head and stared at me. I tensed up and wanted to panic.

"Calm down," Catherine smiled as she found my awkwardness entertaining. "She just wants to know who you are. She has more reason to be afraid of you than you of her. Here."

Catherine closed the space between us, the front of her body pressed against my back as I stared into the mare's eyes. She took me by the wrist and started to guide me.

"Slowly raise your hand...and let her know you don't want to harm her," she spoke in a relaxing tone. "There."

I could hear her smile in her voice as she kept my hand in front of the mare's eyes. The horse lightly whinnied and lowered her head.

"She's going to let you pet her now."

Catherine took my hand and gently rested it on the horse's head. She started to run my hand along the mare's forehead and suddenly, I felt a rush of tranquility course through my veins. I relaxed my shoulders as Catherine helped me stroke mare.

"That's it," she continued to smile. She eased off my hand and let me take control of my actions.

I smiled as I stroked the horse a few more times, but I turned to face Catherine since my hand was free.

"How do you know so much about horses," I asked.

"I have family in Montana. My mom used to take me there during the summer to see my cousins and grandparents. My grandfather had a ranch and my mom and grandmother were always fighting so...I spent a lot of time with him. He taught me everything I know about horses. Don't think I didn't fall on my ass once or twice either. I've been thrown off horses plenty of times, on my ass, my head, my hip, and my arm. I can't tell you how many summers I spent in casts because of a broken arm."

"Wow. I never would have guessed."

"Yeah, well...my mom had a huge falling out with my grandmother so...I didn't spend much time with him before he passed away."

"Oh. ...I'm sorry."

She shook her head.

"It's fine. I let it go. You can hold a grudge forever. ...It's not healthy."

"How old were you?"

"About fifteen. I started stripping to cope with my mom and all of her wrong decisions, like the one she'd made to keep me from my grandparents. And I made a ton of money doing it. So I started saving up and eventually disappeared for a summer to visit my grandma at the ranch."

"Did she ask how you got the money to visit?"

"I asked her not to and she backed off. ...I started to visit ever summer for the next three years, but that third summer...my grandma got sick. I didn't want to leave her, but she made me go back to Vegas. The funny thing is...it seemed like she waited for summer to come around again to pass away because when I came to town, her best friend and neighbor told me she'd passed away the week before. They waited to have a service until I got there and...I got to go to the will reading. She left me the ranch. In her letter, she said my grandpa wanted me to have it and that after spending all those summers with me, watching me ride, she saw it was the right thing to do."

"Cat..." I said after a beat.

She shook her head again.

"No, don't feel bad about it. This whole week is about Jenn and the wedding. Enough sob stories about me and my family."

"Do you...do you still own the ranch?"

"Yep. I took Lindsey there a few times when she was little."

"She must have loved it," I smiled.

"Yeah," she started to smile again. "Especially after the divorce. ...She use to get on her favorite horse and ride around the place just to get away from me. About a year before Eddie died, though, I stopped taking her. At the time I didn't have the money or the vacation time to take her anymore."

"So...what happened to the ranch? If you still own it, how are you maintaining it?"

"I knew several of my grandparents' friends in the area and they've all taken care of it, and the horses, for me. Currently, though, my cousins take turns staying there. I handle all the finances, but they feed and groom the horses as well as keep the house clean. ...I don't know why I'm telling you this. We need to get to the site. Get on the horse."

I smiled at her bossiness and watched her place and adjust a saddle on the mare.

"Are you going to help me get up there?"

"If you need it. All you have to do is grab the top of the saddle there," she pointed. "And you'll put your foot in the stir up and swing your other leg over so you can put the other foot in the stir up on the other side. But I think you know how to get on a horse."

"Yeah, it's the staying on that's a challenge for me."

She smiled as I pushed off the stir up to swing over my leg. I successfully planted my other foot in the stir up and tried to get comfortable on the saddle.

"Just stay there. If you don't move, she won't move. Once I get on one of these horses, I'll guide you through the next part."

"Okay," I nodded as I tried to not to signal the horse in any way.

I watched Catherine as she eased another horse out of its stall. I looked down and was shocked at what I discovered.

"That's a male horse! That's not fair."

"It's a stallion. A mustang in fact."

"Whatever it is, it's...manly."

She laughed.

"How come you get the scary looking one?"

"Because I know how to ride one," she grinned before she effortlessly hopped onto the saddle.

"Show off."

She chuckled.

"Okay, if you put pressure on both sides of her with your legs, she'll start to move. The more pressure you put on her sides, the faster she'll go. Pull straight back on the reigns and she'll come to a stop. If you want to turn left, you're going to apply pressure to her right side with your foot and pull the reigns to the left. You got that?"

"Yeah, I think so."

"Okay. We can start off slow. Are you ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be."

She smiled.

"Okay. Follow me."

She pressed down on both sides of the horse and the stallion started to trot his way out of the stable. She turned him around once they were outside so she could watch to make sure I at least got out of the stable.

I mimicked her example and the mare lurched out of the stable. I pulled on the reigns as the horse and I approached Catherine and I awkwardly got the mare to turn to the left so she could face the trail ahead.

"Good," she smiled. "The more you do ride a horse, the easier it gets."

"Well, I don't plan on riding much."

She lightly laughed and shook her head.

"Okay, let's go," she said as she pushed on both sides of the stallion again.

The stallion started down the trail at a slow gallop at Catherine's request and I did what I had before to get the mare to follow Catherine and the mustang.

Catherine kept her horse at a steady, slow pace as I rode along side her at an equally slow pace. I appreciated her taking it easy on me, but I didn't expect it to last too long and if anyone knew the more malicious side of Catherine, it was me.

"We're going to speed up a bit, okay? Your body's movements should flow with the horse's."

"Okay. I'm a little less confident now."

"You'll be fine."

She pushed harder on the mustang and he quickly adjusted to what she wanted from him. I considered the new speed she had him galloping similar to jogging in the park as we'd only really been fast walking our way through the trail so far.

I pushed harder on the mare and continued to do so until I felt we would catch up to Catherine. When I reached her, I realized I'd been going faster than she had when she asked the horse to speed up. I gently pulled on the reigns to slow down the horse, but Catherine smiled.

"No, if you're comfortable riding that fast you should keep going that fast. I think it's time to take off the training wheels."

"What does that mean," I asked, scared to know what was brewing in her devious head.

"I'll race you to the site," she said as she started to speed up again.

"What? No!"

More afraid of getting lost in the surrounding nature, I sped up just to keep up with her. As I got closer to her, she remained at a constant speed to make a bet.

"Loser has to give the winner a back rub at the vineyard tonight."

She sped off yet again and left me to eat the dirt the stallion kicked out from under him. I pressed more on the mare's sides and got her racing. Naturally, I lowered my head to be equal with the mare's so we would go faster and I lifted my butt slightly off the saddle.

I saw Catherine as the mare and I rounded a corner and followed the neon yellow tape. I was getting closer. I could even win.

I started to tail Catherine, close to her and almost matching her stallion's speed, but not close enough to ride beside her. I kicked it into high gear and got the mare to rush forward. The mare and stallion were soon neck to neck. Catherine looked over at me and smiled as she admired my racing position, one that matched hers. She looked ahead and took the inside turn of the next corner we needed to round. I could make out the camp not too far ahead of us and hoped I'd be able to stop before I hit anything...or anyone.

Before I knew it, Catherine started to get ahead of me inch by inch as we came closer to our destination. I tried to convince the mare with the pressure of my legs to go faster, but she didn't want to listen. Instead, I eased up, as Catherine had started to do when she took the lead, and gradually pulled on the reigns. I lost the race, but I'd learned how to ride a horse.

I smiled as the mare came to a complete stop and I loosened my grip on the reigns. Catherine smiled as she got off the stallion and walked to the other side of the horse for a better look at me.

"Was that hard," she asked as her smile spread.

I could only smile as I got off the mare.

"Wow. You two raced here," Jenn asked with a disbelieving expression on her face.

"Yeah," Catherine answered as I tried to steady myself on the ground.

Catherine, though she stood next to me, still held on to the stallion's reigns. Once she was done basking at the image of her successful teaching, she pulled on the reigns to guide the stallion to the wooden rail the other three horses were secured to.

The one woman I didn't recognize got off the log she had been sitting on and took the mare's reigns.

"I'll take her for you," she smiled at me. "I'm Kay."

She stuck her free hand out to me and I shook it with a smile.

"I'm Sara," I said before we let go.

Kay took the mare to the rail and casually wrapped the reigns around it.

Elise blankly stared at me as Kay walked back to Jenn on one of the two logs that sat in front of a fire pit. Catherine made her way back to me as I took a few steps toward the other log. Elise continued to stare at me as she stood between the two logs, almost as if she were staring through me, and Catherine fell in line with me before we took a seat on the empty log.

"I can't believe you got Sara to ride a horse let alone race you on one," Jenn smiled before she directed her next comment at Kay. "She doesn't like riding because she fell a few times. She couldn't really get the hang of it."

Catherine wrapped an arm around me and rubbed my back for emotional support.

"Thanks," I softly said to her.

"No problem," she spoke as softly as I had.

"Elise tried to teach her a few times, but nothing seemed to stick," Jenn told Catherine.

As if at the sound of her own name, Elise came out of her mini-coma and looked at Jenn before she looked at Catherine and me.

"I guess I wasn't a very good teacher," she tried to force another smile, pain and struggle written across her face.

"So...are we going to have a bonfire out here," Catherine asked to avoid the pressure Elise seemed to be putting on not only herself, but me as well.

"Yeah," Kay answered. "I think it'd be great to tell stories old and new out here. It's a great way to relive the glory days and get to know each other, whether it's for the first time or getting to know someone _better_."

Kay and Jenn smiled at each other, but when I looked at Catherine, her expression told me she and I were both screwed.

**...**

**_So...was it a treat? Write a review and let me know what you think. :D_**


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